First Group of White South African Refugees Touch Down in U.S. After Trump Intervention
On Monday morning, a private U.S.-funded charter plane carrying 49 white Afrikaners landed at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. This group marks the first wave of white South African refugees officially resettled in America under a controversial new refugee program rolled out by the Trump administration earlier this year.
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The families, including children and elderly passengers, left South Africa on Sunday following months of expedited processing by U.S. immigration services. Their relocation comes after former President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February, accusing the South African government of racially targeting white citizens—particularly Afrikaners—through land expropriation policies and affirmative action laws.
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This move has sparked international controversy and legal challenges, as the Trump-era directive also put a freeze on refugee admissions from multiple conflict zones—like Afghanistan, Iraq, and large portions of sub-Saharan Africa—while accelerating applications for white South Africans.
Refugee rights advocates and watchdog groups are questioning why these Afrikaners received priority treatment over refugees escaping violence, war, and political unrest in places like Syria or Sudan. Normally, it takes years for refugee cases to clear. This group got processed and approved in just a few months.
Still, the Trump administration has defended the policy shift. Stephen Miller, Trump’s former deputy chief of staff, told reporters, “What’s happening to Afrikaners in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created.”
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South Africa’s Black-led government is calling foul. Officials claim there’s no widespread persecution against Afrikaners and accuse the Trump administration of spreading misinformation.
Collen Msibi, a spokesperson for South Africa’s transport ministry, confirmed the group’s departure but rejected the narrative that they’re fleeing oppression. “These claims are completely false,” he said, adding that no Afrikaner land has been seized under the controversial land expropriation law that’s still pending implementation.
However, the executive order signed by Trump paints a very different picture, labeling South Africa’s equity laws as “racist” and “anti-white.” The administration used those claims as justification for this new relocation initiative.
A Special Welcome Awaits at Dulles Airport
Upon landing, the 49 South African refugees were greeted by a high-level U.S. delegation that included officials from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Deputy Secretary of State. According to organizers, this warm welcome was planned as part of a larger narrative to showcase the administration’s commitment to “restoring fairness” in global immigration policies.
“This is the first step in a much larger-scale relocation effort,” Miller said during Friday’s press briefing. While he didn’t confirm numbers, insiders say this may be the beginning of several thousand more Afrikaners who are expected to be offered resettlement in the U.S.
The Department of Health and Human Services is now responsible for placing these families in housing and helping them adjust to American life. Details on where they’ll be resettled have not yet been released publicly.
