The Trump administration has announced plans to accept up to 17,500 more White Afrikaners from South Africa as refugees over the coming 12 months. This decision was communicated through a notice sent to Congress, which CBS News obtained. The State Department stated that these refugee spots for fiscal year 2027 will mainly be allocated to Afrikaners, whom President Trump has claimed face persecution due to their race. The upcoming fiscal year begins in October.
The administration’s initiative comes amid a period of reduced refugee resettlement from other parts of the globe. Over the past year and a half, the Trump administration has welcomed thousands of Afrikaners, depicting them as victims of racial oppression since the end of apartheid in South Africa. Despite these claims, the South African government has consistently denied the persecution of this ethnic group, which consists primarily of descendants from Dutch settlers.
In its notice to Congress, the State Department described the challenges Afrikaners face, including agricultural property seizures without compensation, policies aimed at undermining equal opportunities across various sectors, and rhetoric that encourages violence against them. The first group of Afrikaners arrived in the U.S. in May 2025, landing at Washington Dulles International Airport.
Recent actions by the U.S. include the imposition of new sanctions on South African officials, accusing them of discrimination against Afrikaners. The projected cost of the Afrikaner resettlement program stands at $500 million, as mentioned in the notice.
The notice also expressed confidence in the Afrikaners’ ability to integrate into American society, while minimizing taxpayer burden. The administration does not foresee other nations undertaking similar resettlement efforts for Afrikaners.
President Trump has characterized the situation in South Africa as nearing a “genocide” of Afrikaners. During a contentious meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump presented evidence supporting these allegations, which have been widely contested. A “60 Minutes” report earlier this year highlighted Afrikaners who refuted the genocide claims, attributing farm murders to South Africa’s broader crime challenges impacting all ethnic groups.