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Trump administration tells Congress it will admit 17,500 white South African refugees in 2027

The Trump administration plans to limit the number of refugees admitted to the country in 2027 to 17,500 mostly white South Africans , the administration told Congress Tuesday, as it continues to transform a program that at one point served as a pathway to safety for people fleeing war and strife from countries around the world. In a notice to Congress obtained by The Associated Press, the administration said the white South Africans faced seizures of their land and other forms of persecution and would be likely to assimilate when they come to America. The South African government has repeatedly rejected the idea that the white South Africans, who are Afrikaners, are a persecuted minority in the home country.

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Scoop News DeskMilwaukee, Wisconsin area (publisher market; exact incident location not stated) · Published Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 1:56 PM UTCUpdated Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 3:24 PM UTC

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Organizations that have historically worked to resettle refugees in new homes in America criticized the administration's decision to once again limit the program to white South Africans. “For more than four decades, America’s refugee program has provided a lifesaving pathway for people fleeing violence and persecution,” said Naomi Steinberg, HIAS vice president for refugee and immigration policy and advocacy, in a statement. “But again, this administration is diminishing and distorting this legacy in service of its political whims.

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Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 3:24 PM UTC
The Trump administration plans to limit the number of refugees admitted to the country in 2027 to 17,500 mostly white South Africans , the administration told Congress Tuesday, as it continues to transform a program that at one point served as a pathway to safety for people fleeing war and strife from countries around the world. In a notice to Congress obtained by The Associated Press, the administration said the white South Africans faced seizures of their land and other forms of persecution and would be likely to assimilate when they come to America. The South African government has repeatedly rejected the idea that the white South Africans, who are Afrikaners, are a persecuted minority in the home country.