Washington/Johannesburg, May 13 – A group of 49 white South Africans arrived in the United States on Monday after being granted refugee status under a new program introduced by President Donald Trump, drawing criticism from rights advocates and officials in Pretoria who deny the group faces persecution.
The group, all Afrikaners — descendants of Dutch and French colonial settlers — departed Johannesburg on a private charter flight operated by U.S.-based Omni Air International and landed at Dulles International Airport outside Washington D.C. early Monday, South African and U.S. officials confirmed.
They are the first beneficiaries of a Trump administration initiative announced in February that grants refugee status to white South Africans, citing alleged racial discrimination by South Africa’s Black-led government. The move comes amid a broader pause on refugee admissions from war-torn regions including Afghanistan, Iraq, and much of sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking to reporters, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the relocation effort marked the start of a “much larger-scale” program. “What is happening to Afrikaners fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created,” Miller said. “This is persecution based on a protected characteristic – in this case, race.”
The Trump administration says the South African government is pursuing anti-white policies through land expropriation efforts and affirmative action laws. President Trump previously accused South Africa of “taking away land” and targeting Afrikaners, comments that Pretoria dismissed as false and inflammatory.
“The claim that Afrikaners are being persecuted is completely false,” said a spokesperson for South Africa’s transport ministry, Collen Mbisi. “Afrikaners remain among the most economically privileged citizens in our country.” Despite the controversy, South Africa said it would not prevent the group from leaving, citing freedom of movement.
The refugees were accompanied by police and airport officials during departure and were vetted to ensure no outstanding legal cases, Mbisi added. Upon arrival, they were greeted by officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which will oversee their resettlement, including housing, furniture, food and other assistance.
The program has drawn criticism from refugee advocacy groups, who argue the decision to prioritize white South Africans over other vulnerable populations reflects political bias and racial inequity. Vetting for refugee status often takes years, they note.
“The question remains why this group has been fast-tracked while other high-risk cases have stalled,” said one official from a refugee agency who requested anonymity.
South Africa’s government also criticized Washington’s broader posture, pointing to Trump’s February executive order that froze U.S. funding to South Africa and accused it of pursuing an “anti-American foreign policy.” The order cited South Africa’s ties with Iran and its recent genocide case against U.S. ally Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Analysts have also noted the influence of Trump advisors and donors with personal ties to apartheid-era South Africa, including Elon Musk, venture capitalist David Sacks, and billionaire Peter Thiel, as a potential factor shaping the administration’s narrative.
According to U.S. government documents obtained by Reuters, Afrikaner relocation has been marked as a “stated priority of the Administration.”
There are roughly 2.7 million Afrikaners in South Africa, a nation of 62 million people, more than 80% of whom are Black. While Afrikaners make up just one segment of the country’s white minority, many remain prominent in business, government, and cultural institutions.
