Overview
- The order, dated Sept. 30 and published Thursday in the Federal Register, takes effect Oct. 1 and reduces admissions to a record low from last year’s 125,000 ceiling.
- It directs priority for members of South Africa’s white Afrikaner/Buren minority and says other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination may be considered.
- South Africa’s government and experts reject allegations of a campaign against white farmers, disputing the president’s claims of genocide.
- The administration previously halted refugee admissions in January, and Reuters reports 138 South Africans have already entered under targeted efforts.
- Refugee advocates, including Global Refuge’s Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, argue the shift undercuts the program’s mission as the government also moves to end Temporary Protected Status for several nationalities and escalates deportations.