49 White South Africans Granted Refugee Status Set to Arrive U.S.

By Caroline Ameh

A group of 49 white South Africans granted refugee status under a controversial program initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to arrive in Washington, D.C. later Monday, after departing from Johannesburg on Sunday.

This is the first official resettlement of white South Africans in the U.S. under the Trump-era executive order, which cited “racial discrimination” against Afrikaners—a white ethnic group descended primarily from Dutch settlers—as grounds for asylum.

The move has strained diplomatic ties between the United States and South Africa. In February, Trump signed an executive order asserting that white South Africans, particularly Afrikaner farmers, were victims of systemic discrimination and violence. South Africa’s Foreign Minister, Ronald Lamoa, dismissed the claims, stating Monday that “there is no persecution of white Afrikaner South Africans” and pointing to police statistics that refute allegations of targeted attacks.

Trump’s administration has repeatedly criticized South African land reform policies, claiming the government was expropriating land from white farmers without compensation—a claim the South African government has denied. Trump also amplified reports of violence against white farmers, describing it as “large-scale killing,” a characterization challenged by available data.

According to the South African Police Service, 44 murders occurred on farms and smallholdings in 2024, with only eight of the victims identified as farmers. The country does not provide crime statistics broken down by race. While a majority of farmers in South Africa are white, most of the people living and working on farms are black.

South African-born U.S. entrepreneur and Trump adviser Elon Musk further escalated tensions by declaring there was a “genocide of white people” in South Africa and accusing the government of enforcing “racist ownership laws.” These claims have been widely discredited by experts and commentators, including prominent Afrikaner journalist and author Max du Preez, who described them as “total absurdity” and “based on nothing.”

“The idea that white South Africans are being persecuted is not supported by facts. This resettlement initiative seems to reflect internal U.S. political dynamics rather than realities in South Africa,” du Preez said.

Diplomatic relations hit another low in March when South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled following accusations that Trump was using “white victimhood as a dog whistle.” The U.S. responded by accusing Rasool of “race-baiting.”

Tensions have also spilled over into global geopolitics, with the U.S. criticizing South Africa’s legal challenge against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Pretoria has accused the Netanyahu government of committing genocide in Gaza—a claim Israel has firmly rejected.

The 49 Afrikaner refugees arriving today are expected to continue on to Texas, where they will begin the process of resettlement. Their arrival comes amid a broader U.S. crackdown on immigration, particularly from Latin America and the Middle East, sparking criticism over perceived double standards in asylum policy.