The United States government is aiming to process about 4,500 refugee applications per month from white South Africans, a figure that significantly exceeds the overall annual refugee ceiling publicly outlined by President Donald Trump.

 

According to a U.S. State Department contracting document dated January 27 and reported by Reuters, the White House communicated the monthly processing target to officials overseeing refugee admissions. The document outlines plans to install 14 prefabricated modular buildings at the U.S. embassy property in Pretoria to create a temporary refugee processing site.

 

President Donald Trump has stated that the United States would admit only 7,500 refugees worldwide in the 2026 fiscal year. However, the newly disclosed processing goal suggests a major focus on applications from white South Africans, particularly those of Afrikaner descent.

 

Reuters reported that about 2,000 white South Africans had been admitted to the United States as refugees by January 31 under a programme launched in May 2025. Admissions increased sharply in December and January, with approximately 1,500 arrivals during that period compared to about 500 in the preceding six and a half months, according to U.S. State Department figures cited by the agency.

 

Despite the ramp-up, refugee travel has been temporarily halted. Reuters reported that the State Department cancelled all refugee travel from February 23 to March 9 due to operational factors, creating further uncertainty for applicants. A U.S. official familiar with the matter said administrative delays at the Department of Homeland Security had contributed to a backlog in approvals.

 

Under a broader executive order issued by Trump in January 2025 pausing refugee admissions, South African applicants must now be approved as exceptions on a case-by-case basis by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

 

The refugee initiative has strained diplomatic relations between Washington and Pretoria. Trump has argued that white South Africans face violent persecution in the majority-Black country. However, South Africa’s government has firmly rejected the claim. According to Reuters, South African Foreign Ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said the assertion that Afrikaners face systemic persecution is “fundamentally unsubstantiated.”

 

Tensions escalated in mid-December when South African authorities conducted an immigration raid at a commercial property in Johannesburg where U.S. staff were processing refugee applications. Reuters previously reported that several contractors were arrested for alleged visa violations, and two U.S. refugee officers were briefly detained. The incident prompted discussions between the two governments, resulting in an agreement to allow processing to continue.

 

The State Department document further shows that a South African company was awarded a $772,000 no-bid contract to supply and install the modular units at the embassy in Pretoria, citing urgency and security concerns after operations at the previous site were disrupted.

 

The South African Chamber of Commerce in the United States said last year that more than 67,000 people had expressed interest in relocating under the programme, Reuters reported.

 

Whether the United States will meet the ambitious 4,500-per-month target remains uncertain, particularly as refugee admissions remain subject to administrative reviews and policy restrictions.

 

The development highlights a shift in U.S. refugee priorities at a time when admissions from many other regions have been curtailed under the current immigration policy framework.