WASHINGTON, United States — President Donald Trump’s administration plans to admit up to 17,500 refugees into the United States in 2027, with most places allocated to white South Africans, according to a proposal submitted to Congress.
The plan, delivered to lawmakers on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, would continue an immigration policy that has restricted refugee admissions from much of the world while establishing a separate programme for white South Africans.
The State Department said the proposed admissions would “primarily be Afrikaners from South Africa”, referring to members of the country’s predominantly white, Afrikaans-speaking population.
The document, obtained by The Associated Press, also outlined plans to spend approximately $500 million on resettling refugees under the proposed annual ceiling.
The administration maintains that Afrikaners face racial discrimination and persecution in South Africa, allegations that the South African government has repeatedly rejected.
Refugee Places Reserved Primarily for Afrikaners
The proposed ceiling would apply to the 2027 fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2026.
Under the American refugee admissions system, the president establishes an annual limit on the number of people who may be admitted after consultations with Congress. \
The ceiling represents the maximum permitted admissions rather than a guarantee that every available place will be filled.
Previous administrations generally distributed refugee places among several geographical regions, taking into account displacement caused by war, persecution, and other humanitarian emergencies.
Trump suspended most refugee admissions shortly after returning to the White House in January 2025, before establishing a programme to resettle white South Africans.
His administration initially set the refugee admissions ceiling for the 2026 fiscal year at 7,500 people but subsequently increased it to 17,500, primarily to accommodate additional applicants from South Africa.
The latest proposal would maintain that higher limit for another year.
According to Reuters, State Department figures show that all but three of the nearly 3,000 refugees admitted to the United States during the current fiscal year through August were South Africans.
By comparison, the United States admitted more than 100,000 refugees from dozens of countries during the 2024 fiscal year under former President Joe Biden.
The State Department’s report to Congress said it expected Afrikaner arrivals to integrate into American society without placing substantial demands on government resources.
The administration also said it did not expect other countries to undertake the resettlement of Afrikaners.
South Africa Rejects Claims of Racial Persecution
Trump has repeatedly alleged that white South Africans face systematic persecution, including racially motivated violence and the seizure of their land.
His administration has cited those allegations in explaining its decision to prioritise Afrikaners for refugee admission.
South African authorities have rejected claims of a campaign of racial persecution against white citizens.
The dispute has also involved the South African government’s land reform policies, which Trump has criticised as discriminatory towards white landowners.
South Africa’s government maintains that its land legislation is intended to address inequalities in land ownership and does not authorise the arbitrary confiscation of property on racial grounds.
The competing accounts have contributed to diplomatic disagreements between Washington and Pretoria over the treatment of white South Africans.
Refugee Organisations Oppose Admissions Policy
Humanitarian organisations have criticised the administration’s decision to allocate most refugee places to a single population while restricting admissions from countries experiencing armed conflict and other humanitarian emergencies.
Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and chief executive of Global Refuge, said the policy would leave thousands of vulnerable families without access to resettlement opportunities.
In a statement reported by Reuters, Vignarajah accused the administration of abandoning the broader humanitarian responsibilities of the American refugee programme.
The refugee assistance organisation HIAS also criticised the proposed admissions ceiling, saying that prioritising white South Africans would leave other people seeking protection without the resettlement opportunities they had been awaiting.
The administration has defended its approach, maintaining that refugee admissions should reflect American national interests and the government’s assessment of which applicants qualify for protection.
The new proposal leaves the overall refugee admissions ceiling at 17,500, with the State Department indicating that most available places will continue to be allocated to Afrikaners during the coming fiscal year.
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Five Alternative Headlines
- Trump to Admit 17,500 Refugees in 2027, Reserving Most Places for White South Africans
- Trump Administration Tells Congress Most Refugees Admitted in 2027 Will Be White South Africans
- White South Africans to Receive Most of 17,500 US Refugee Places Under Trump’s 2027 Plan
- Trump Sets 17,500 Refugee Admissions Ceiling for 2027, Prioritising White South Africans
- Trump Plans $500 Million Refugee Programme Centred on White South Africans
