Trump raises refugee ceiling by 10,000 for white South Africans

US President Donald Trump has increased the refugee admissions ceiling by 10,000 for the current fiscal year, according to a presidential determination dated May 21 and reported today.

The increase is specifically intended to allow more white South Africans of Afrikaner ethnicity to enter the United States. The administration has asserted that they face an “emergency situation” because of alleged “incitement of racially motivated violence.”

The move is part of a programme launched earlier this year that prioritises white South African refugees, while broader refugee admissions remain significantly curtailed.

South Africa’s foreign ministry has rejected the assertion that European-descended Afrikaners face systemic persecution. The policy therefore adds a new point of tension to debates over refugee admissions, race and the administration’s criteria for humanitarian protection.