On May 11, 2025, a group of 49 white South Africans, primarily Afrikaners, departed for the United States under a new refugee resettlement program announced by President Donald Trump in February. The policy, established via executive order, accuses South Africa’s Black-led government of racial discrimination against Afrikaners and prioritizes their asylum claims ahead of other global refugee populations.
The group, which included families and small children, was due to arrive at Dulles International Airport outside Washington on Monday morning local time, according to Collen Msibi, a spokesperson for South Africa’s transport ministry. They are the first Afrikaners to be relocated after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Feb. 7 accusing South Africa’s Black-led government of racial discrimination against them and announcing a program to offer them relocation to America.
The Trump administration has fast-tracked their applications while pausing other refugee programs, halting arrivals from Afghanistan, Iraq, most of sub-Saharan Africa and other countries in a move being challenged in court. Refugee groups have questioned why the white South Africans are being prioritized ahead of people from countries wracked by war and natural disasters.
The Trump administration says the South African government is pursuing racist, anti-white policies through affirmative action laws and a new land expropriation law it says targets Afrikaners’ land. The government says those claims are based on misinformation and there is no racism against Afrikaners and no land has been expropriated, although the contentious law has been passed and is the focus of criticism in South Africa.
The first Afrikaner refugees were traveling on a flight operated by the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based charter company Omni Air International, Msibi said. They would fly to Dakar, Senegal and stop there to refuel before heading for Dulles. They departed from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, where they were accompanied by police officers and airport officials when they checked in.
The South African government said there was no justification for them being relocated but said it wouldn’t stop them and respected their freedom of choice. They are expected to be greeted at Dulles by a U.S. government delegation, including the deputy secretary of state and officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, whose refugee office has organized their resettlement.
This resettlement initiative has sparked controversy both domestically and internationally. Critics argue that prioritizing white South Africans over refugees fleeing war-torn regions reflects a racially biased immigration policy. Human rights organizations have expressed concern over the suspension of other refugee programs in favor of this initiative. The South African government has also criticized the move, stating that Afrikaners are among the most economically privileged groups in the country and do not face systemic persecution.
Despite the criticism, the Trump administration plans to expand this resettlement program in the coming months, with more Afrikaners expected to arrive in the United States under the same refugee status. The long-term implications of this policy shift remain to be seen, as debates over immigration priorities and racial equity continue to unfold.
