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Refugee admissions for the 2026 fiscal year will be capped at just 7,500, the lowest ever, with a priority for white South Africans fleeing persecution.
“The admissions numbers shall primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa pursuant to Executive Order 14204, and other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands. Refugee admissions under this determination, which may reach but not exceed the numerical limit described herein, are in all respects subject to the requirements of other Presidential policies and actions, whether issued prior or subsequent to this determination,” the order states.
These admissions are “justified by humanitarian concerns” or are otherwise deemed to be in the national interest.
Refugee admissions under the Biden administration numbered well over 100,000 a year. Before he left office, Biden set the limit for fiscal year 2025 at 125,000, the same as in 2024.
Executive Order 14204, which the new order cites, was issued at the beginning of February and entitled, “Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa.”
It had two primary functions: to suspend all foreign aid to South Africa, and to prioritize refugee admissions for white South Africans who are the “victims of unjust racial discrimination” in their homeland.
The Executive Order came after the Trump administration harshly criticized the South African government for new land-reform measures that allow for the appropriation of private land without compensation. The Trump administration claimed the measures would be used to target white landowners, as similar measures were in other African countries, most notably Zimbabwe.
“South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY,” the President posted on Truth Social.
“It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see. The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”
The Order also led to the suspension of hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, including money that was used to finance South Africa’s HIV/AIDS programs.
The first white South Africans admitted to the US under this new designation, 59 in total, landed in the US in May.
As many as 70,000 white South Africans are reported to have expressed interest in relocating to the US.
