U.S. Plans Increase in Afrikaner Refugee Admissions

An announcement from the Trump administration indicates plans to admit up to 17,500 Afrikaners from South Africa as refugees within the next year. This detail, which CBS News obtained from a notice sent to Congress, specifies that the State Department intends to allocate refugee spots primarily for Afrikaners.

The fiscal year 2027, commencing in October, will see these admissions. Despite substantial restrictions on the U.S. refugee program generally, exemptions have been made for Afrikaners, whom the Trump administration claims face racial oppression in South Africa.

Officials from the Trump administration have characterized Afrikaners as persecuted in post-apartheid South Africa. The South African government refutes allegations of persecution, asserting that Afrikaners, descendants of European settlers, are not systematically discriminated against.

The State Department’s notice to Congress outlined challenges faced by Afrikaners, including property seizure without compensation, policies affecting employment, education, and business opportunities, and heightened violence against minorities.

Last week, the U.S. imposed sanctions on South African officials accused of discrimination against Afrikaners. The initiative to resettle Afrikaners is expected to cost $500 million, according to the congressional notice.

The notice also emphasized the anticipated assimilation of Afrikaners into the U.S., suggesting they would integrate in ways that preserve resources for American citizens. Meanwhile, President Trump has declared Afrikaners are facing what he describes as a “genocide” in South Africa, though these claims are heavily disputed.

A report by “60 Minutes” earlier in the year shed light on Afrikaners who rejected assertions of a targeted “genocide,” attributing violence on farms to broader criminal issues affecting all racial groups in South Africa.