A group of 59 White South Africans arrived in the United States on Monday, marking the first high-profile wave of Afrikaners to be granted refugee status under a controversial programme initiated by the Trump administration.
The group landed at Washington Dulles International Airport and was met by senior US officials, including Christopher Landau, United States deputy secretary of state, and Troy Edgar, deputy secretary at the Department of Homeland Security.
“We respect what you had to deal with these last few years,” Landau told the new arrivals, many of whom are reportedly farmers. “We respect the long tradition of your people and what you have accomplished over the years.”
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The resettlement of the group comes as part of a broader policy shift by the Trump administration, which has prioritised the admission of Afrikaners citing alleged racial discrimination and threats under South Africa’s land reform initiatives. At the same time, the administration has effectively shut the door to most other refugee applicants, particularly from war-torn and famine-stricken regions in the Middle East and Africa.
The policy has sparked sharp criticism both within the United States and abroad. Cyril Ramaphosa, South African president, speaking at the Africa CEO Forum in Côte d’Ivoire on Monday, rejected the claims underpinning the US programme.
“Those going to the US do not fit the definition of a refugee,” Ramaphosa said. “They are not being persecuted, they are not being hounded, they are not being treated badly.”
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Ramaphosa, a veteran of the struggle to end apartheid, added that he had personally conveyed his objections to Trump. “We think the American government has got the wrong end of the stick here,” he said. “They are leaving ostensibly because they don’t want to embrace the changes that are taking place in our country in accordance with our constitution.”
Human rights advocates and refugee organisations have also condemned the move, describing it as ideologically and racially motivated.
“This is a racialised immigration programme masquerading as refugee resettlement,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International. “There are millions of refugees around the world — people who have had to flee their home countries due to war or persecution — who have far more need for protection than anyone in this group.”
None of the arriving Afrikaners are known to have fled active violence or government persecution in South Africa. Critics argue the policy prioritises a historically privileged minority over genuinely vulnerable populations.
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Since beginning his second term, Trump has intensified his criticism of South Africa’s government, particularly over its push to address long-standing racial inequalities in land ownership. The administration has suspended US aid to South Africa and fast-tracked immigration pathways for White South Africans, whom Trump claims are being targeted under the country’s land reform agenda.
In January, South Africa enacted the Expropriation Act, empowering the government to reclaim land — in some cases without compensation — if deemed to serve the public interest. The legislation is intended to reverse the legacy of apartheid, which dispossessed Black South Africans of land and wealth.
Despite the end of apartheid three decades ago, White South Africans — who make up less than 10% of the population — continue to own roughly three-quarters of all private land and maintain average household wealth nearly 20 times higher than their Black compatriots.
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Trump’s support for Afrikaner immigration has been echoed by Elon Musk, tech billionaire and South Africa-born entrepreneur. Both men have claimed that White farmers face racial persecution, a charge South African officials have dismissed as baseless and inflammatory.
Earlier this month, Trump promised a “rapid pathway to citizenship” for South African farmers, describing them as victims of “government-sponsored race-based discrimination.”
Refugee advocates warn that the administration’s rhetoric and selective admissions are setting a dangerous precedent. “This programme sends a clear message about who this administration believes deserves protection — and who doesn’t,” Konyndyk said.
Meanwhile, the South African government maintains that its land reform efforts are not about retribution but about restoring justice. “This is about addressing historical injustices,” Ramaphosa said. “Not about persecuting anyone.”
As more Afrikaners prepare to relocate under the Trump-era programme, both the ethics and legality of the policy are likely to face growing scrutiny, both domestically and on the world stage.
