Shift in US Refugee Admissions Under Trump Administration
President Donald Trump's changes to US refugee policies have significantly altered the number and nationalities of refugees admitted to the country, according to data from the US government.
Since October 2025, a total of 4,499 refugees have been resettled in the United States, as reported by the Refugee Processing Center. Of these, all but three individuals were South African, with the exceptions being from Afghanistan.
Comparison with Previous Administration's Refugee Admissions
In contrast, during the last full fiscal year of the Biden administration, which began in October 2023, the US accepted 125,000 refugees from 85 different countries.
Trump's Refugee Policy Changes and Focus on Afrikaners
In the previous year, President Trump halted all refugee admissions, including those from active warzones. However, he made an exception for Afrikaners, a white minority group in South Africa, whom he stated were persecuted and thus eligible for resettlement. This characterization was met with objection from the South African government.
When announcing the policy shift, Trump stated that the changes would enhance national security and public safety.
Priority for refugee admissions was designated for Afrikaner South Africans and
"other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands,"according to the official announcement.
Diplomatic Tensions Between Washington and Pretoria
Relations between the US and South Africa have become increasingly strained since Trump's return to the White House.
Just over a year ago, South Africa's ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled after accusing Trump of
"mobilising a supremacism"and attempting to
"project white victimhood as a dog whistle."
In May, during a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, asserting that white farmers in South Africa were targets of persecution and
"genocide."
President Ramaphosa disputed these claims and received support from John Steenhuisen, the white leader of the Democratic Alliance, a coalition government partner.
"Certainly, the majority of South Africa's commercial and smallholder farmers really do want to stay in South Africa and make it work,"Steenhuisen told Trump.
South African Government's Response to US Refugee Prioritization
In October, the South African government publicly criticized the US decision to prioritize refugee applications from white Afrikaners. The government stated that claims of a white genocide in South Africa have been widely discredited and lack reliable evidence.
They referenced an open letter published by prominent Afrikaner community members—including academics, businesspeople, and descendants of apartheid-era figures—who rejected the narrative. Some signatories described the relocation scheme as racist.
Refugee Resettlement Numbers and Distribution in the US
The first group of 68 South African refugees arrived in the US in May of the previous year. The number of arrivals increased this year, with 2,848 individuals resettled across February and March.
These refugees have been resettled throughout the United States, with the largest concentration—543 individuals—living in Texas.
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