The Trump administration plans to set a refugee admissions ceiling of 17,500 for the next 12 months, according to a notice sent to Congress and reviewed by Reuters and the Associated Press. The notice says admissions would consist primarily of South Africans from the white Afrikaner minority.

The 17,500 figure is the proposed ceiling for total refugee admissions, not a guarantee that 17,500 additional white South Africans will be admitted. “Primarily” also leaves room for refugees from other countries. Reuters reported that the resettlement program is expected to cost about $500 million.

The proposal would raise the ceiling from the 7,500-person limit set for the previous fiscal year while continuing the administration’s focus on Afrikaners. President Donald Trump says the group faces race-based persecution and land seizures; South Africa’s government has repeatedly rejected the claim that Afrikaners are a persecuted minority.

A February 2025 executive order directed the State and Homeland Security departments to prioritize refugee admission and resettlement for Afrikaners whom the administration considers victims of unjust racial discrimination. The new congressional notice would determine the broader admissions limit for the coming 12-month period.