*A temporary complex of prefabricated buildings is rising on U.S. embassy property in Pretoria as part of a major refugee processing expansion.
According to Reuters, the project follows security concerns after South African authorities raided a previous site in Johannesburg, where operations were described as “compromised.” To support the effort, a South African company received a $772,000 no-bid contract to install 14 modular structures, forming what officials call a temporary “modular village.” The White House has directed the State Department’s refugee division to process about 4,500 applications per month from white South Africans, according to a January 27 contracting document.
That monthly objective stands in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s public refugee ceiling of 7,500 total admissions worldwide for fiscal year 2026. Internal discussions last year had considered a higher range of 40,000 to 60,000, but the lower cap was ultimately announced.
Since the program launched in May 2025, roughly 2,000 white South Africans had been admitted as of January 31. Even as processing ramps up, refugee travel has been paused from February 23 through March 9 because of administrative backlogs. Under a broader refugee suspension issued in January 2025, South African applicants must receive case-by-case approval from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
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Interest in the program has been significant, with more than 67,000 individuals indicating a desire to relocate, according to the South African Chamber of Commerce in the U.S. Trump has maintained that white Afrikaner South Africans are subject to violent persecution, an assertion the South African government disputes as unfounded.
In May 2025, the administration granted refugee status to 54 white Afrikaner South Africans, pointing to allegations of racial discrimination in South Africa. When they arrived on May 12, senior officials from the Departments of State and Homeland Security were present to receive them, an uncommon step for refugee arrivals. The move drew criticism from some observers, who questioned whether prioritizing white applicants over Black and Brown refugees fleeing similar or more severe circumstances reflected unequal treatment in U.S. policy.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Trump Expands Afrikaner Refugee Program to Boost White Migration to the U.S.
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