A group of 49 white South Africans, primarily Afrikaners, landed at Washington Dulles International Airport on Monday, marking the first wave of refugees resettled under a controversial U.S. executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February 2025. The order prioritizes refugee status for Afrikaners, citing “government-sponsored race-based discrimination” in South Africa, particularly referencing the country’s Expropriation Act 13 of 2024. The move has sparked intense debate in both nations, with critics calling it politically motivated and supporters arguing it addresses legitimate grievances of a minority group.
The Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch and French settlers who arrived in South Africa in the 17th century, boarded a U.S.-funded charter flight from Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport on Sunday evening. According to documents obtained by The New York Times, the group, consisting of roughly four families, was vetted for criminal records and granted P1 refugee status, which is typically reserved for individuals referred for resettlement due to urgent circumstances. Upon arrival, they were met by high-level officials from the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security for a press conference, a reception described as unusual by NPR sources. The refugees will be resettled in states including Minnesota, Idaho, Alabama, California, West Virginia, and New York, with support from the Department of Health and Human Services for housing, groceries, and other essentials.
The executive order stems from Trump’s assertion that Afrikaners face persecution due to South Africa’s land reform policies, which aim to address historical inequalities from apartheid and colonial eras. The Expropriation Act allows for land to be seized without compensation in certain cases, a measure President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended as a “constitutionally mandated legal process” to ensure equitable land access. Trump, echoed by his South African-born adviser Elon Musk, has claimed the law targets white farmers, fueling narratives of “racist anti-white laws” and farm attacks. However, South African officials and analysts dispute these claims, noting that no land has been seized under the new law and that Afrikaners remain among the country’s most economically privileged groups, owning three-quarters of private land and 20 times the wealth of the Black majority, according to the Review of Political Economy.
South Africa’s foreign ministry condemned the resettlement as “entirely politically motivated and designed to question South Africa’s constitutional democracy,” emphasizing the country’s efforts to prevent discrimination since the end of apartheid in 1994. Chrispin Phiri, a ministry spokesperson, told CBS News that Afrikaners do not meet international refugee criteria under the 1951 Refugee Convention, which defines refugees as those with a “well-founded fear of persecution” based on race, religion, or other protected characteristics. The African National Congress (ANC) and other groups have accused Trump of amplifying misinformation propagated by Afrikaner-led organizations like AfriForum, which has lobbied for recognition of alleged inequalities faced by white South Africans.
The resettlement has also drawn criticism in the U.S., where Trump’s broader suspension of the refugee admissions program has stranded thousands of approved refugees from countries like Sudan, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. “We are concerned that the U.S. Government has chosen to fast-track the admission of Afrikaners, while actively fighting court orders to provide life-saving resettlement to other refugee populations,” said Rick Santos, president of Church World Services, a refugee assistance organization. A federal judge in Seattle recently ordered the administration to process 12,000 previously approved refugees, but their resettlement remains uncertain.
Supporters of the program, including White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, argue that Afrikaners face “race-based persecution,” pointing to violent farm attacks—49 homicides were recorded in 2023 by AfriForum, though experts note Black farm owners and workers are also victims of such crimes. Miller told reporters, “What’s happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created.” The rapid processing of Afrikaner applications, completed in just three months compared to the typical 18-24 months, has raised eyebrows, with some alleging favoritism driven by political and racial motives.
In South Africa, the departure has reopened old racial wounds, with some Afrikaner nationalists and secessionist groups, like the Cape Independence Advocacy Group and Orania, welcoming Trump’s intervention, while others reject it. “Afrikaners do not want to be refugees. We love and are committed to our homeland,” stated Orania, an Afrikaner-only enclave. Meanwhile, social media posts on X reflect mixed sentiments, with some celebrating the opportunity for Afrikaners to “escape oppression” and others mocking the idea of economically privileged individuals claiming refugee status.
The resettlement program, dubbed “Mission South Africa” by the Trump administration, has processed over 8,200 inquiries from Afrikaners, with nearly 70,000 expressing interest, according to the South African Chamber of Commerce in the U.S. As the U.S. continues to prioritize Afrikaner refugees, the move risks further straining diplomatic relations with South Africa, already tense after Trump cut aid and expelled the South African ambassador in March 2025.
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For now, the 49 Afrikaners begin their new lives in the U.S., while the debate over their status—and the broader implications for refugee policy and racial narratives—continues.