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WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump increased the refugee admissions ceiling by 10,000 for this year to allow more white South Africans to come into the country, a signed presidential determination reviewed by Reuters showed.
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The document, dated May 21, said white South Africans of Afrikaner ethnicity face an emergency situation due to ‘incitement of racially motivated violence’ by the government and political parties in the majority-Black country.
The White House, U.S. State Department and South Africa’s government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump, a Republican, froze refugee admissions from around the world when he took office in January 2025, but weeks later launched a program exclusively aimed at bringing in white South Africans.
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He initially set the refugee ceiling at a record-low 7,500 for fiscal year 2026, which ends on September 30. But his administration has already brought in 6,000 white South Africans through the end of April, government figures show.
Trump’s decision to increase the number of refugee admissions brings the total ceiling to 17,500.
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Reuters first reported the planned refugee program expansion in April.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.
This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 8:34 AM.