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yesterday

First White South Africans Depart for U.S. Under Trump Refugee Program

A group of 49 Afrikaners boards a charter flight to the U.S., as South Africa denies claims of race-based persecution and criticizes the policy as politically motivated.

FILE - White South Africans demonstrate in support of U.S. President Donald Trump in front of the U.S. embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
Katia Beeden, life coach and campaigner for white South Africans who want to apply for US refugee status, poses for a picture at her residence in Fish Hoek, Cape Town, South Africa, April 8, 2025. REUTERS/Shafiek Tassiem/File Photo
FILE - The Harry S. Truman Building, headquarters for the State Department, is seen in Washington, March 9, 2009. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Afrikaner refugees at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg check in for their departure to the United States on Sunday, May 11, 2025. Dozens of Afrikaners who claim discrimination in their home country left Johannesburg on Sunday. Their departure for the U.S. comes as the Trump administration has halted virtually all refugee admissions. (Ilan Godfrey/The New York Times)

Overview

  • The Trump administration's refugee program prioritizes white Afrikaner applicants from South Africa, citing alleged race-based persecution.
  • The first group of 49 Afrikaners boarded a U.S. charter flight from Johannesburg to Washington Dulles International Airport on May 11, 2025.
  • The expedited refugee process for Afrikaners has taken weeks or months, compared to the typical 18–24-month timeline for other refugee groups.
  • South Africa's government denies accusations of racial discrimination or land confiscations and criticizes the U.S. program as politically motivated.
  • The U.S. Department of State and Health and Human Services are coordinating resettlement support, including housing and basic supplies for the arriving refugees.