WASHINGTON — The first group of white South Africans who the Trump administration is classifying as refugees are expected to arrive in the United States on Monday.
President Donald Trump suspended refugee admissions from most other nations when he took office. But in a February executive order, Trump said the U.S. would establish a plan to resettle “Afrikaners” and their families as refugees in the United States.
Afrikaners are mainly of Dutch descent. The Trump administration has accused the South African “government-sponsored race-based discrimination” and pledged to cut off all aid and assistance.
The dispute between the Trump administration and South Africa dates back to the president’s first term. More recently, the country drew Trump’s ire by signing a law that allows the South African government to seize property, in some cases with compensating the owner. Most of the country’s land is owned by white South Africans, who make up a minority of the population. South Africa’s government says its law is not aimed at any particular race.
Although apartheid rule by the white minority ended with the country’s first free and fair election in 1994, the typical Black South African household has just 5% of the wealth of the typical white household, according to a 2024 study.
According to the New York Times, a group of 54 Afrikaners were due to depart from Johannesburg on Sunday. The Washington Post reported that a group of 60 Afrikaners would be arriving on a State Department plane on Monday to an airport just outside of Washington.
The State Department declined in an email to confirm the reports or say how many South Africans would be coming and when they would arrive.
A spokesperson said in response to a request for comment that the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa had been conducting interviews and processing applications of individuals who have expressed interest in moving to the United States. The State Department said in its statement that it is prioritizing Afrikaners in South Africa who it views as victims of unjust racial discrimination.
Trump’s executive order: Trump stops South Africa aid over land act intended to address apartheid legacy
Trump adviser and Telsa chief Elon Musk, who is from South Africa, has also been openly critical of the Expropriation Act. He met with South Africa’s president to discuss it days before Trump signed a Feb. 7 executive order prioritizing Afrikaners for resettlement through the United States’ refugee program.
“To go a step further, 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. This process will begin immediately!” Trump wrote on March 7.
South Africa has responded forcefully. It accused the United States of “entirely politically motivated” actions in a May 9 statement that it said are “designed to question” the laws of a constitutional democracy that has worked since apartheid to prevent widespread discrimination.
United States law defines refugees as individuals located outside of the country who can demonstrate they were persecuted, or have a fear persecution, due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. International refugee law lays out similar conditions.
The South African government argued in its statement that Trump’s order does not meet that description.
“There are sufficient structures available within South Africa to address concerns of discrimination. Moreover, even if there are allegations of discrimination, it is our view that these do not meet the threshold of persecution required under domestic and international refugee law,” the South African government said.
It said it will not it prevent its citizens from moving to the United States but has sought to vet the individuals leaving to make sure they do not have criminal charges pending against them.
The White House defended Trump’s order at a May 9 briefing, where press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the administration’s stance that white South Africans are facing “racial persecution” through the land seizure law. Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller also said South African farmers were facing “race-based persecution” and told reporters that under the Trump administration, the U.S. would no longer be favoring refugees from poverty-stricken nations.
In 2023, the U.S. admitted 60,050 people to the United States as refugees. The primarily came from the war-torn countries of Congo, Syria, and Afghanistan.
(This article has been updated to include additional information.)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White South Africans classified by Trump as refugees headed to U.S.
