U.S. Has Taken Nearly 6,000 Refugees This Year — All Are From South Africa

Overview

• Official State Department data show 5,948 refugees admitted year-to-date are all from South Africa, reflecting a concentrated shift in admissions toward Afrikaners.
• A presidential memo issued late last year directed that refugee places 'shall primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa,' and a May presidential determination seeks to raise this year’s ceiling by about 10,000 to allow additional admissions.
• The administration frames the move as a response to race-based persecution claims, but South African officials and many experts reject that characterization and say there is no legal basis to treat white South Africans broadly as refugees.
• Resettlement agencies report canceled travel for vetted applicants, lawsuits and strained placement capacity because slots and contractor resources have been concentrated on one nationality.
• The policy reverses prior U.S. practice by cutting the annual cap to 7,500 after 2024’s much larger admissions, and it raises congressional, budgetary and diplomatic questions as Washington reallocates federal resettlement resources.