US Targets 4,500 Monthly White South African Refugees

The United States is planning to process up to 4,500 refugee applications from white South Africans each month, a target that exceeds President Donald Trump's overall global refugee admissions cap for fiscal year 2026, according to a U.S. State Department document dated January 27. To support this effort, the government is installing prefabricated modular buildings on embassy property in Pretoria, South Africa, following security concerns at a previous site.

The initiative focuses on white South Africans, particularly those of Afrikaner ethnicity, whom U.S. officials have described as facing racial discrimination and violent persecution in their majority-Black country. The program launched in May 2025, shortly after Trump ordered a halt to all refugee admissions in January upon taking office. As of January 31, only 2,000 individuals had entered the U.S. under the program, though admissions have accelerated recently, with about 1,500 arriving in December and January combined, compared to roughly 500 in the prior six and a half months.

Trump has set a global cap of 7,500 refugees for fiscal year 2026, a sharp reduction from previous years, while internal discussions last year...