Trump Proposes Refugee Quota for White South Africans to Rise to 17,500

The Trump administration has proposed raising the refugee admission cap for fiscal year 2026 to 17,500 people, specifically for white South Africans. The plan is outlined in an emergency designation document sent to Congress and obtained by CNN.

The move marks a shift from last year’s policy, which restricted the number of refugees allowed into the United States to just 7,500 per year, with a similar focus on white South Africans. The policy had sharply reduced the cap in the previous year, which had reached 125,000, and excluded several of the world’s most vulnerable populations.

President Donald Trump defended his administration’s decision to resettle Afrikaners in the United States by citing claims that ‘genocide is taking place’ in South Africa. Trump stated that ‘white farmers are being killed in a brutal manner and their land taken.’

South African authorities have strongly denied the claims. CNN has also investigated the allegations of ‘genocide’ of white South Africans and found no evidence to support the charges.

The emergency designation document also quotes a statement from the President of South Africa and references an incident last year when the South African government questioned the presence of American personnel stationed in the country.

‘The increasing hostility heightens the risks for Afrikaners in South Africa, who have faced widespread discrimination based on race that is government-sponsored,’ the report says. ‘For these reasons, the quota revision to 17,500 can be justified by deep humanitarian concerns and in the national interest as detailed in E.O. 14204, and will advance the United States’ foreign policy interests as outlined in that order.’

As of this report, CNN has contacted the White House and the U.S. State Department for further comment. Under U.S. law, the government is required to consult with Congress before setting the annual refugee quota.