The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to admit up to 17 500 additional Afrikaners from South Africa as refugees over the next 12 months.
According to CBS News, the US State Department notified Congress on Tuesday that the 17 500 refugee places had been allocated for the 2027 financial year, which begins in October. The department said the places would primarily be made available to Afrikaners.
The programme is projected to cost the US government about 500 million dollars.
The 17 500 ceiling was initially announced in May, when Trump increased the refugee admissions limit for the current financial year. The latest announcement would maintain that level for the financial year beginning in October.
The Trump administration has made an exception for Afrikaners as it significantly reduced refugee resettlement for people from other parts of the world.
US officials have argued that Afrikaners face racial discrimination and persecution in South Africa. The State Department has cited issues including land policy, employment and education policies, as well as violence and rhetoric directed at racial minorities.
The South African government has repeatedly rejected claims that Afrikaners are being systematically persecuted.
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has described the US refugee programme as race-based and accused groups representing themselves as speaking for minorities of misrepresenting South Africa's domestic policies.
The refugee programme has become a source of tension between Pretoria and Washington, with the two governments also at odds over issues including land reform, trade and foreign policy.
CBS News reports that thousands of Afrikaners have already been resettled in the United States since the first group arrived in May 2025.