White South Africans Granted Refugee Status Arrive in U.S. Under Trump Administration
Wafric News – May 12, 2025
Washington, D.C. – A group of 59 White South Africans, mainly Afrikaners, arrived in the United States on Monday after being granted refugee status by the Trump administration under a controversial new policy that prioritizes their resettlement.
Washington, D.C. – A group of 59 White South Africans, mainly Afrikaners, arrived in the United States on Monday after being granted refugee status by the Trump administration under a controversial new policy that prioritizes their resettlement.
The arrivals, including families and children, were welcomed at Washington Dulles International Airport by top U.S. officials, including Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar. The group is the first batch of White South Africans accepted as refugees under the Trump administration—a move that has drawn widespread criticism both domestically and internationally.
“We respect what you had to deal with these last few years,” said Landau, comparing the group—many of whom are farmers—to “quality seeds” who would “bloom” in the U.S.
A Controversial Exception
While most refugee admissions into the U.S. have been suspended under Trump’s current executive order, the White House has made a clear exception for White South Africans, citing what it calls "government-sponsored discrimination" in South Africa. This includes land reform legislation aimed at reversing apartheid-era land dispossession, which disproportionately benefited the White minority at the expense of Black South Africans.
Critics argue the move amounts to racially selective immigration policy.
Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International, condemned the program as a “racialized immigration scheme masquerading as refugee protection,” emphasizing that millions of refugees around the world—fleeing war, persecution, and famine—have been denied entry.
“None of the South Africans in this group, to my knowledge, were in immediate danger or fleeing armed conflict,” Konyndyk said.
The U.S. government, however, maintains that the group qualifies under its refugee criteria, citing “egregious and targeted threats,” and accusing the South African government of failing to protect its citizens.
“The South African government has not done what we feel is appropriate to guarantee the rights of these citizens,” Landau said, defending the decision to expedite their resettlement.
South African Government Pushes Back
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa swiftly rejected the claims made by the Trump administration, stating that the Afrikaners in question "do not fit the definition of refugees."
“They are not being persecuted, they are not being hounded,” Ramaphosa said at the Africa CEO Forum in Côte d’Ivoire. “They are leaving ostensibly because they don’t want to embrace the changes that are taking place in our country in accordance with our constitution.”
The changes refer to South Africa’s Expropriation Act, signed into law earlier this year. The legislation allows the government to redistribute land—without compensation in some cases—deemed to be in the public interest. This is aimed at correcting the massive racial imbalances in land ownership left by apartheid, where Black South Africans, who make up over 80% of the population, still own less than 5% of private agricultural land.
Political Fuel for U.S. Culture Wars
The Trump administration’s refugee policy appears deeply intertwined with U.S. domestic politics. Tech billionaire Elon Musk—himself South African-born—has echoed Trump’s claims about White farmer persecution. Both figures have vocally criticized South Africa’s land reform policies, framing them as racially biased and unjust.
In February, President Trump suspended foreign aid to South Africa, citing discrimination against White farmers. He also signed an executive order directing the U.S. to facilitate the resettlement of Afrikaners allegedly facing race-based targeting.
In a recent social media post, Trump declared:
“Any Farmer (with family!) from South Africa, seeking to flee that country for reasons of safety, will be invited into the United States of America with a rapid pathway to Citizenship.”
What Comes Next?
According to senior White House adviser Stephen Miller, this week’s arrivals are just the beginning of “a much larger-scale relocation effort.” U.S. officials have not yet confirmed how many Afrikaners will ultimately be resettled, nor how long the exemption will remain in place.
Meanwhile, rights groups warn the policy sets a dangerous precedent by prioritizing asylum for individuals based on race, while sidelining refugees fleeing war-torn regions like Sudan, Syria, or Afghanistan.
As the U.S. election season heats up, observers say the issue may become another flashpoint in a broader debate over race, immigration, and foreign policy—with South Africa unexpectedly caught in the middle.
By WafricNews Desk.
By WafricNews Desk.
Comment
To post a comment, you have to login first
LoginNo Comments Yet...