Maine will resettle 50 white South Africans through federal refugee program

Maine will resettle only 50 people through the federal refugee program over the next year, all of them white South Africans. This information comes from Inza Ouattara, the state refugee coordinator for Catholic Charities Maine. Last year, the state resettled close to 500 refugees, making this year’s number a significant decrease.

“That’s way below, you know, what we were expecting last fiscal year,” Ouattara said.

Ouattara also noted that Maine currently has only one federally-approved resettlement agency: the Lewiston-based Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services. This agency will handle all 50 new arrivals this year.

“Because of the small number, I don’t see any major challenge that Maine will have in resettling refugees,” Ouattara added.

In recent years, new refugees arriving in Maine have primarily come from countries experiencing war and armed conflict, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and Somalia.

However, under President Donald Trump, there is a shift in priorities. The administration is focusing on resettling Afrikaners, a white South African ethnic group that Trump claims is facing persecution—a notion strongly rejected by South African leaders.

Last week, the Trump administration announced it would cap refugee admissions at 7,500 over the next year, representing a 94% decrease from last year’s cap.
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/11/11/portland/maine-resettle-50-white-south-africans-federal-refugee-program/

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