According to a U.S. State Department contracting document dated January 27, the United States is pursuing an internal goal to process about 4,500 refugee applications per month from white South Africans - a figure that substantially exceeds the public cap on refugee admissions stated by President Donald Trump for fiscal year 2026.
The document, posted to a U.S. government database, lays out the reasoning for awarding a no-bid contract to install prefabricated modular buildings on an embassy property in Pretoria. It emphasizes the need for a secure processing site after an immigration raid by South African authorities on a commercial property in Johannesburg previously used by U.S. staff and contractors handling refugee cases.
Under the program launched in May 2025, only 2,000 white South Africans had entered the United States as refugees as of January 31. The document states that the inability to process the targeted 4,500 applicants per month - an objective communicated to the State Department's refugee division from the White House - would amount to a failure to meet a Presidential priority.
Project details and logistics
The contracting paperwork indicates a South African company was awarded a no-bid contract worth $772,000 to supply and install 14 prefabricated modular units. The structures are described as part of a "temporary modular village" to be sited on U.S. embassy property in Pretoria. A user in a WhatsApp group established for applicants said they had an interview this week in a trailer-like structure at an embassy property and observed that additional trailers were being prepared, suggesting the site may now be operational.
The document justified a sole-source procurement on the grounds of urgency and security. It cited the earlier Johannesburg raid, which resulted in operations being compromised, and argued that a more secure location on embassy grounds was necessary to continue processing at scale.
Admissions, caps and administrative roadblocks
The stated 4,500-per-month target contrasts with President Trump's public cap of 7,500 refugees worldwide for fiscal year 2026. The document also notes that internal discussions last year considered a much larger ceiling of 40,000 to 60,000, though that higher range was not publicly adopted.
Despite the target, the program has seen an uneven pace of arrivals. U.S. State Department figures cited in the document indicate that about 1,500 South Africans were admitted in December and January, compared with roughly 500 over the prior six and a half months. Overall, 2,000 had been admitted by January 31 under the program that began in May 2025.
Operationally, the program has been subject to recent interruptions. The State Department canceled all refugee travel - including for South Africans - from February 23 to March 9, an action attributed in an email to applicants to operational factors. Additionally, a U.S. official familiar with internal operations said that the Department of Homeland Security has delayed approvals, creating an administrative backlog that could impede progress toward the monthly processing goal.
Diplomatic tensions and law enforcement actions
Tensions between U.S. and South African authorities flared in mid-December, when South African law enforcement raided the Johannesburg commercial site where U.S. staff and contractors were working on refugee claims. Seven Kenyan nationals employed as contractors by a U.S.-based refugee organization were arrested on alleged visa violations, and two U.S. refugee officers were briefly detained. Following the incident, U.S. and South African officials reached a private agreement in late December to permit processing to continue, according to the contracting document.
South African Foreign Ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said his government would not obstruct the U.S. program if it operated within legal bounds, while reiterating Pretoria's rejection of the assertion that Afrikaners face systemic persecution in South Africa. He described the claim of systemic persecution as "fundamentally unsubstantiated."
Policy context and exception approvals
President Trump issued a sweeping refugee ban in January 2025. As a result of that policy, South Africans enrolled in this program must be admitted as exceptions on a case-by-case basis by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The contracting document highlights the White House-communicated priority to reach the 4,500-per-month objective, even as the broader refugee admissions landscape remains tightly constrained.
Separately, the South African Chamber of Commerce in the United States has quantified interest in relocation related to the program, stating last year that more than 67,000 people had expressed interest in relocating, a figure cited in the contracting paperwork.
Uncertainties about meeting the target
Whether the United States can achieve the ambitious processing target is unclear. The contracting document points to security and operational reasons for a dedicated embassy-site processing capability, but administrative actions in Washington have hampered travel and approvals in recent weeks. The U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said DHS delays were creating a backlog that could slow approvals and travel. The State Department's recent travel suspension through March 9 further complicates the timetable for admissions.
The document and subsequent applicant accounts suggest the U.S. government is taking concrete steps to expand processing capacity for this cohort, but they also underscore the operational, legal and diplomatic hurdles that persist.
What is known and what remains constrained
- The U.S. has set an internal objective to process 4,500 white South African refugee applicants monthly, as noted in a January 27 State Department contracting record.
- Only 2,000 white South Africans had been admitted by January 31 under a program that began in May 2025, with an increased pace in December and January.
- A no-bid $772,000 contract was awarded for 14 prefabricated modular units to be placed on U.S. embassy property in Pretoria, described as a temporary modular village for processing.
- Recent administrative pauses on travel and DHS delays in approving exceptions to the January 2025 refugee ban create operational uncertainty about meeting the stated monthly processing target.