US slashes refugee admissions, prioritises white South Africans • Critics say move is racially motivated, ignores other global crises
The Trump administration has slashed the number of refugees allowed into the United States and is prioritising white South Africans. The new cap for 2026 drops from 125,000 under Biden to just 7,500, most of them reserved for members of South Africa’s white Afrikaner minority, Afrinews reported.
Washington says Afrikaners face discrimination, land seizures, and race-based violence under South Africa’s Black-led government, claims that Pretoria calls “completely false”.
So far, about 400 Afrikaners have already been relocated under a fast-track programme that began earlier this year. Critics say the move is racially motivated and ignores other global crises.
Afrikaners once led South Africa’s apartheid regime. Today, they make up less than five per cent of the population and remain active across society.
President Trump signed an executive order accusing South Africa of rights abuses and ordering US agencies to prioritise Afrikaner resettlement, a move that’s reignited debate over race, refugees, and America’s role in global migration.
