WASHINGTON/JOHANNESBURG, — The Trump administration has resettled 59 white South African refugees in the United States, a move that has prompted strong political backlash at home and bewilderment abroad.
The arrivals, primarily Afrikaners—descendants of Dutch settlers—were welcomed at Washington Dulles International Airport on Monday, following a February executive order from President Donald Trump prioritizing their admission. The administration has justified the decision by citing alleged racial discrimination and threats of violence in South Africa, despite the absence of independent verification.
“It’s a genocide that’s taking place,” Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to violence against white South African farmers. He did not provide evidence for the claim but denied that the policy was racially motivated. “Their race makes no difference to me,” he said.
The policy shift stands in stark contrast to Trump’s broader refugee strategy, which has sharply curtailed admissions, especially from non-white-majority countries. Critics argue the administration’s focus on Afrikaners—who are overwhelmingly white—reflects a selective and politically charged approach to humanitarian aid.
The move has triggered outrage among U.S. religious and political leaders. The Episcopal Church announced it would withdraw from federal refugee partnerships in protest.
“It has been painful to watch one group of refugees, selected in a highly unusual manner, receive preferential treatment over many others who have been waiting in refugee camps or dangerous conditions for years,” said Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe in a public letter.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the decision “baffling” and accused the administration of rewriting history for political gain.
“The decision to put one group at the front of the line is clearly politically motivated,” she said.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau greeted the new arrivals, comparing their flight from South Africa to that of his own father, a Jewish refugee who fled Austria during the Nazi era. Landau refrained from repeating Trump’s claims of genocide but emphasized that many of the newcomers were farmers concerned about land rights and safety.
Some refugees cited threats to their property and personal security. “We never expected this land expropriation thing to go so far,” said Charl Kleinhaus, a 46-year-old settler who arrived with his children and grandson. Reuters was unable to independently verify his account.
Trump’s order cited South Africa’s new land reform legislation, which would ease state expropriation of land in the public interest—a policy that has alarmed some white farmers. No land seizures have occurred under the new law.
The South African government has rejected claims of widespread persecution. President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking at a conference in Ivory Coast, suggested the refugees’ departure reflected discomfort with post-apartheid racial equity policies, rather than fear for their safety.
“We think the American government has got the wrong end of the stick here,” Ramaphosa said, adding that he would continue discussions with U.S. officials. Trump, meanwhile, indicated he may skip the G20 summit in Johannesburg later this year unless what he called “the situation is taken care of.”
Though apartheid formally ended three decades ago, South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. According to a study in the Review of Political Economy, white South Africans control roughly 75% of private land and have, on average, 20 times the wealth of Black South Africans. Less than 10% of white South Africans are unemployed, compared with over 35% of Black South Africans.
Refugees resettled this week will be placed in states including Minnesota, Idaho, Alabama, and New York, according to U.S. officials. More arrivals are expected in the coming months, despite South Africa’s insistence that the notion of “white genocide” lacks factual basis.
Critics warn that the administration’s policy risks setting a precedent that politicizes refugee status and fuels racial tensions both domestically and abroad.
Written by Kelly Were
