The Trump administration plans to set a refugee admissions ceiling of 17,500 over the next 12 months, with the programme expected to consist primarily of South Africans from the white Afrikaner minority, according to a notice sent to Congress on Tuesday, 22 September.
U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed Afrikaners face persecution based on their race in South Africa, allegations the South African government has denied.
Trump paused U.S. refugee admissions when he took office in January 2025, saying admissions would resume only if they were in the country's best interests. Weeks later, his administration launched an effort to bring Afrikaners to the U.S., drawing criticism from refugee advocates.
The State Department notice said it “anticipates that Afrikaners from South Africa will fully assimilate into the United States in a manner that preserves taxpayer resources for U.S. citizens.”
The proposed admissions ceiling is expected to cost approximately $500 million, according to the notice.
Nearly 3,000 people have been admitted as refugees during the current fiscal year, which ends on 30 September 2026. All but three were South Africans, according to State Department data through August.
By contrast, the Biden administration admitted more than 100,000 refugees from dozens of countries in fiscal year 2024.
President and CEO of Global Refuge, Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, criticised the proposed policy, saying a refugee programme focused on one group would undermine U.S. humanitarian leadership and leave other vulnerable families without support.
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One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
An explosion and fire have been reported at a major underground gas pipeline in Russia’s Penza region on 13 October, according to UA News, as cited by Azerbaijan’s APA news agency. The reports have not been independently verified.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined high school students protesting outside a school in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on Tuesday, as a wave of student demonstrations continues across France.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to discuss measures to tackle transboundary haze during preparatory meetings ahead of the ASEAN summit in November, as forest and land fires in Indonesia continue to affect air quality across the region, the Philippines said on Tuesday.
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