Despite tightening entry rules in the US for people fleeing wars, political violence, and humanitarian crises worldwide, Washington has affirmed its commitment to resettling Afrikaners as refugees.
The Donald Trump administration continues to support the narrative that this minority is facing persecution and racial discrimination in South Africa, even despite repeated denials of these claims.
A representative from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Zach Kahler, told IOL on Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security intends to resettle Afrikaner refugees who are being persecuted by the South African government.
The State Department, which co-manages this program with the Department of Homeland Security, explained its decision citing concerns over the threats and discrimination faced by Afrikaners.
The Department told IOL that President Trump clearly designated the priority resettlement of Afrikaners from South Africa, who are escaping state-sponsored discrimination, under Executive Order 14204.
The statement indicated that the lives and property of Afrikaners were at risk due to politicians inciting racial violence, threatening to confiscate their farms without compensation, and supporting a corrupt assessment system that discriminates against Afrikaners in employment.
Kahler clarified that not all applicants were accepted, and those whose applications were rejected have no right to appeal the decision. He added that USCIS notifies foreigners deemed ineligible for further processing through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, including those who do not meet requirements due to public safety or criminal background issues, and that this decision is not subject to appeal because the administration will always prioritize the safety and well-being of the American people.
Neither department disclosed data on the number of South Africans who applied, were accepted, or were rejected. Data from the State Department's Refugee Processing Center showed that the US accepted 10,258 refugees between October 1 and July 31, of whom 10,255 were South Africans; the remaining three were Afghans relocated to Colorado in November.
These figures reflected the program's intent: a determination signed by Trump specified that 'the number of admitted individuals will primarily be distributed among Afrikaners from South Africa.'
In the previous fiscal year, the US accepted only 342 South African refugees, while the two largest flows that year consisted of Afghans (6,758 people) and people from the Democratic Republic of Congo (5,672 people), both groups of whom have since been almost entirely excluded.
Trump suspended the entire US refugee program on January 20 of last year, shortly after taking office, leaving tens of thousands of people who had undergone interviews and security checks after years of waiting in limbo. The order, titled 'Reforming the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program,' asserted that accepting refugees would harm American interests.
Eighteen days later, Trump signed a second executive order titled 'Decision on the Outrageous Actions of the Republic of South Africa,' which created an exception for one group, mandating that US agencies prioritize the resettlement of Afrikaners from South Africa.
This order cited two main reasons. The first was the Expropriation Act, signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa on January 23 of last year, three days after the suspension of the US refugee program. This act defined how the state could expropriate property for public or public interest purposes, allowing for zero compensation in limited circumstances, although no land was expropriated under the law.
AfriForum, DA, and the Institute for Race Relations challenged this law in the High Court of the Western Cape, demanding it be declared unconstitutional. The second reason related to the case of South Africa v. Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The order stated that 'South Africa has taken aggressive positions against the United States and its allies by accusing Israel, rather than Hamas, of genocide at the ICJ.' Pretoria filed a lawsuit in The Hague in December 2023, alleging that Israel's actions in Gaza violate the Genocide Convention. The court ruled in January 2024 to take measures to prevent acts of genocide.
The first group of 59 South Africans arrived at Dallas airport near Washington on May 12 of last year, where they were met by then-Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. Trump set a refugee cap for the current US fiscal year at 7,500, the lowest figure since the US refugee program was established in 1980 and a decrease from 125,000 the previous year. However, on May 21, he raised this limit to 17,500, allocating all the additional 10,000 spots to Afrikaners.
The determination stated that there was an 'unforeseen refugee emergency,' linking it to the rise in racially motivated incitement from the South African government and leaders of prominent political parties, though no specific incidents, officials, or parties were named.
The State Department indicated in its proposal to the US Congress in May that the cost of the additional 10,000 spots was approximately $100 million. The program also differed from how refugees were recognized in other parts of the world. International refugee law defines a refugee as a person outside their country, and applicants are usually considered only after fleeing. However, Trump's definition explicitly allowed Afrikaners to be considered refugees even before leaving South Africa, conducting interviews at the US embassy in Pretoria.
Accepted individuals flew to the US on tickets they had to pay for in installments after finding work and received a $2,000 grant upon arrival. According to placement data published by the State Department in April, over 500 new arrivals were placed in Texas, while Florida and California took most of the rest.
Denial letters dated June 30 were sent to applicants in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape without stating the reasons for the decisions and without the possibility of appeal. Many who received such letters had already resigned from their jobs, sold property, completed necessary vaccinations, and finished orientation courses for those preparing to depart.
Chris Wyatt, a retired US Army Colonel who closely monitored the program and advised applicants through his online channel, estimated the number of rejections to be between 500 and 1,000. Cabinet Minister Humbudzo Ntshaveni stated on July 30 that anyone who was rejected would be welcomed home and would not face persecution for attempting to leave. She noted that the cabinet had taken note of claims that white South Africans who decided to relocate to the US under what she called a myth of white genocide were denied visas.
Applications are processed in South Africa by RSC Africa, managed by the American charity Church World Service, and Amerikaners, an organization created to work on the program after Trump signed the executive order. The State Department declined to comment on both arrangements, stating that 'we do not comment on the internal workings of the program.'
The program is being challenged in US courts by the International Refugee Assistance Project, which argued that refugees from other countries were illegally blocked from applying while South Africans went through an expedited process. Pretoria initially rejected the claim of persecution, informing Washington that the resettlement of South Africans as refugees had a political undertone and was aimed at undermining confidence in the country's constitutional democracy. The Department reiterated that the claims of discrimination were unfounded and stated that even if such claims existed, they did not meet the threshold of persecution required by South African law and international refugee law.