World Refugee Day throws Trump’s approach into the spotlight

The Trump administration is facing renewed criticism for preventing tens of thousands of approved refugees from entering the United States while fast-tracking admissions for white South Africans.

Ahead of World Refugee Day on Saturday, the administration is considering bringing Afrikaner refugees to the White House, according to a U.S. official and an internal government email reviewed by Reuters.

The move comes as more than 120,000 refugees from multiple countries who have already been approved for resettlement remain unable to enter the U.S. under broad restrictions on admissions.

Earlier this year, Trump expanded refugee admissions for Afrikaners, increasing the cap from 7,500 to 17,500 in a presidential determination that cited an “unforeseen emergency refugee situation” and said, without providing evidence, that they faced “incitement of racially motivated violence” in South Africa.

The policy has also revived scrutiny of Trump’s past immigration comments, including a reported 2018 remark questioning why the U.S. accepted immigrants from “shithole countries” instead of nations such as Norway. Critics argue that the Afrikaner program reflects a similar preference for immigrants from white populations over refugees from other parts of the world.

South African officials reject the administration’s claims of mistreatment. Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, said that “the assertion that white Afrikaners, in particular, endure systemic persecution is entirely without foundation.”

But the administration has also provided a second rationale, arguing that Afrikaners — whose primary language is a variant of 17th century Dutch but who often speak English as a second language — would assimilate better than some other groups.

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the policy, saying it advances U.S. national interests by prioritizing applicants who are more likely to “quickly assimilate into society and be successful.” He has described the South Africa initiative as “a very specific one, probably a time-limited one,” aimed at a “unique subset” of applicants with a “high likelihood of rapid assimilation and success.”

U.S. government figures show that roughly 6,000 South Africans have arrived under the program since it began.