Texas has emerged as the leading destination for refugee resettlement in the United States during fiscal year 2026, primarily due to a shift in refugee admissions focused almost exclusively on South African arrivals. According to State Department data, 817 refugees are slated for resettlement in Texas this year, all of whom are from South Africa. This group accounts for over 12% of the 6,668 refugees admitted nationwide through May, making Texas the top state by a significant margin. Florida and California follow, each resettling just over 7% of refugees admitted this period. All 50 states have accepted at least one refugee this fiscal year, though nearly all approved refugees originate from South Africa. The only exceptions were three Afghan refugees resettled in Colorado last November.

The resettlement of South African refugees marks a notable departure from recent years. Prior to President Donald Trump’s second term, Texas had not received any refugees from South Africa in at least a decade. In the 2024 fiscal year under the Biden administration, Texas took in 9,768 refugees from 44 different countries, with the largest groups originating from Venezuela, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—South Africa did not figure among them. Similarly, in early 2025 before Trump’s second inauguration, more than 3,800 refugees arrived in Texas from 41 countries, including Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Burma, but none from South Africa. The demographic shift occurred rapidly after Trump took office in 2025, with admissions to Texas including 64 South Africans, seven Salvadorans, and one Norwegian through the end of that fiscal year.

This change aligns with President Trump’s refugee policies, which have increasingly prioritized refugees from South Africa, specifically focusing on Afrikaners—descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers. In February 2025, Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to prioritize refugee applications from Afrikaners who claim to be victims of racial discrimination. Later, in May 2026, Trump raised the refugee admissions cap for the fiscal year from 7,500 to 17,500, citing an “unforeseen emergency refugee situation” in South Africa. The Trump administration’s policies represent a notable departure from the refugee resettlement approaches of previous administrations, which typically admitted refugees from a wider range of countries.

The South African government has publicly challenged the U.S. administration’s characterization of conditions in South Africa, disputing claims of a racial crisis against Afrikaners. The Department of International Relations & Cooperation has issued several statements rejecting the idea of a “white genocide,” describing it as a discredited narrative lacking credible evidence. Prominent members of the Afrikaner community have also publicly denounced this portrayal.

Experts note that refugees themselves have little influence over their resettlement locations, which are determined by federal agencies. Texas has consistently been among the top refugee destinations for decades due to its infrastructure and services, regardless of administration or policy emphasis. However, this year’s refugee admissions are projected to be among the lowest in half a century, with a projected 10,015 refugees admitted nationally for fiscal 2026—barely more than the number that resettled in Texas alone in 2024.

The current U.S. fiscal year runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, and detailed information on refugees’ specific locations within states is not publicly available.