The Trump administration is set to welcome an additional 17,500 Afrikaners from South Africa as refugees over the next 12 months. This information was revealed in a notice sent to Congress, obtained by CBS News. The State Department noted that for fiscal year 2027, these refugee spots will mainly be allocated to Afrikaners. President Trump has stated that Afrikaners face oppression due to their race. Fiscal year 2027 begins in October.

The U.S. has largely reduced its refugee resettlement programs for most global persecution victims, except for Afrikaners. Thousands have been resettled over the past year and a half, as the administration highlights them as victims of racial oppression in post-apartheid South Africa. However, the South African government denies any persecution of this ethnic minority, consisting primarily of descendants of European settlers, mostly Dutch.

“Afrikaners face the seizure of agricultural property without compensation, policies that dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business, and rhetoric that incites violence against minorities,” the State Department communicated to Congress.

The first resettled Afrikaner group arrived on May 12, 2025, at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia. In a related development, the U.S. imposed sanctions on certain South African officials last week, holding them accountable for alleged discrimination against Afrikaners.

The resettlement initiative is expected to cost the U.S. government $500 million, as stated in the congressional notice. It also anticipates that Afrikaners will integrate into American society efficiently, minimizing the use of taxpayer resources intended for U.S. citizens. Conversely, it does not expect other nations to accept Afrikaner refugees.

President Trump has alleged that Afrikaners face a “genocide” in South Africa. He confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa about these claims in a previous tense Oval Office meeting, presenting a video showing farmer murders in the country. These claims have been contested. A “60 Minutes” investigation earlier this year included interviews with Afrikaners who disputed the assertion of a genocide and linked the farm murders to South Africa’s general crime issue affecting all races.