The Trump administration plans to resettle the first group of white South African refugees in the United States as early as next week, according to US media reports.
This move has sparked controversy, with critics arguing that it prioritizes a specific group while broader global refugee admissions remain largely frozen.
The resettlement plan, first reported by US investigative outlet The Lever, quotes an April 30 memo saying the South Africans are scheduled to arrive “within a few days.” National Public Radio (NPR) and The New York Times report that the group is expected to arrive at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, where US government officials plan to hold a welcoming event.
President Donald Trump has accused South Africa of “racial discrimination” against white citizens, particularly Afrikaner farmers, citing a land expropriation law signed in January. The law allows the government to seize land without compensation in exceptional circumstances, which Trump claims will lead to the takeover of white-owned farms.
“We’re going to prioritize access to a refugee program for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination,” Trump said in February. He also issued an executive order to freeze US aid to South Africa over the land expropriation law.
The South African government has pushed back against Trump’s plan, deeming it “politically motivated and factually baseless.” The foreign ministry has raised concerns about the legal standing of resettled Afrikaners and requested assurances that none face pending criminal charges.
Mark Hetfield, president of the Jewish resettlement agency HIAS, expressed support for welcoming the Afrikaners but lamented the administration’s neglect of other vulnerable groups. “We are profoundly disturbed that the administration has slammed the door in the face of thousands of other refugees approved by D.H.S. months ago, notwithstanding courts ordering the White House to let many of them in,” Hetfield said.
Refugee advocates argue that the swift action to resettle Afrikaners exposes the administration’s neglect of other vulnerable groups. Timothy Young, spokesperson for Global Refuge, expressed hope that the development signals a broader commitment to protecting all refugees who meet US standards, regardless of origin.