CAPE TOWN, South Africa: The U.S. Embassy in South Africa said it received a list of over 67,000 people interested in refugee status in the U.S. under President Donald Trump's plan to relocate white South Africans he says are victims of racial discrimination.

The list was provided by the South African Chamber of Commerce in the U.S., which said it became a contact point for white South Africans asking about the program announced last month. However, the list is not an official application.

On February 7, Trump signed an order cutting U.S. funding to South Africa, claiming its government was encouraging violence against white landowners. The order specifically mentioned Afrikaners, a white minority group descended from Dutch and French settlers, and directed U.S. officials to prioritize their resettlement as refugees.

There are about 2.7 million Afrikaners in South Africa, a country of 62 million people. Trump's decision to offer them refugee status contrasts with his broader policy of restricting refugee admissions.

The South African government denies claims that Afrikaners are being targeted through its land reform laws, stating that Trump's allegations are based on misinformation. Trump has posted on his Truth Social platform that Afrikaners are losing farmland, though no land has been taken under the law.

The order also criticized South Africa's foreign policy, particularly its accusation that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza at the United Nations' top court. The Trump administration has accused South Africa of supporting Hamas and Iran, calling its stance anti-American. The U.S. has also expelled South Africa's ambassador, calling him anti-Trump.

A U.S. Embassy official in Pretoria confirmed receiving the list but provided no further details.

Neil Diamond, president of the South African Chamber of Commerce in the U.S., said the list includes 67,042 names, mainly people aged 25 to 45 with children.

He told Newzroom Afrika that the chamber had received many inquiries since Trump's order and had asked the U.S. State Department and Embassy in Pretoria to create an official registration process.

"That cannot be the responsibility of the chamber," he said, emphasizing that only U.S. authorities can process refugee applications.

The U.S. Embassy in South Africa is waiting for further instructions on how to carry out Trump's order.