The United States has granted refugee status to 54 white Afrikaner South Africans, with their arrival in Washington, D.C., expected as early as Monday, according to reports from NPR and the New York Times. The group will reportedly be welcomed by high-level officials from the Departments of State and Homeland Security, a gesture described as unusual in the refugee process.
The move follows a February executive order by President Donald Trump, who claimed that Afrikaners—descendants of Dutch and French colonizers—face racial discrimination in post-apartheid South Africa. The administration’s order came just weeks after Trump reimposed limits on other refugee programs and halted resettlement for more than 100,000 refugees already approved from countries like Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
South Africa’s foreign ministry condemned the resettlement effort, calling it “entirely politically motivated” and an affront to the country’s democratic and anti-apartheid progress.
Trump’s position has been supported by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South African-born adviser Elon Musk, both of whom echoed claims that white South Africans are disproportionately targeted for violence and exclusion from economic opportunities.
The speed of approval for the Afrikaner group—completed in less than three months—has drawn criticism from immigration advocates, who point out that most refugee applicants wait 18 to 24 months under typical procedures. The Department of Health and Human Services is preparing assistance for the arriving refugees, including housing, groceries, hygiene supplies, and prepaid phones, per internal memos.
The administration has directed refugee officers to prioritize white Afrikaner farmers among more than 8,000 asylum applications from South Africa.
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