US Refugee Policy Shift: Over 4,400 Admitted Since October, Mostly from South Africa

According to US government data, President Donald Trump’s revised refugee policies have led to a significant change in the demographic makeup of those resettled in the country. From October 2025 to the present, 4,499 refugees have been admitted, with only three individuals from Afghanistan joining the rest, who all hailed from South Africa.

Biden’s Fiscal Year Referral Count

In the final year of the Biden administration, which concluded in September 2023, 125,000 refugees were accepted from 85 different nations. This figure contrasts sharply with the current trend under Trump, where admissions have been drastically reduced.

Trump’s Policy and South African Criticism

Trump paused refugee admissions in 2024, blocking applications from conflict zones but allowing Afrikaners—described as a white minority group facing persecution—to seek resettlement. South Africa contested this classification, arguing that claims of a “white genocide” had lost credibility and lacked substantial evidence.

“Certainly, the majority of South Africa’s commercial and smallholder farmers really do want to stay in South Africa and make it work,” said John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance.

Escalating Tensions Between the US and South Africa

Diplomatic friction between Washington and Pretoria has intensified since Trump’s re-election. A year prior, South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, was recalled after accusing Trump of “mobilising a supremacism” and using “white victimhood as a dog whistle.” During a recent meeting in the Oval Office, Trump asserted that white farmers in South Africa were victims of “genocide,” a claim backed by Steenhuisen and disputed by Cyril Ramaphosa.

Refugee Arrivals and Geographic Distribution

The first cohort of 68 South African refugees arrived in the US in May 2024. This year, the number surged, with 2,848 individuals resettling in February and March. Texas saw the highest concentration, hosting 543 of these newcomers.

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