59 white South Africans, who were granted refugee status, arrived in the U.S. on May 12 because the Trump administration deemed them victims of “racial discrimination”, according to Reuters.
In a press conference held that day, U.S. President Donald Trump alleged “white farmers are being brutally killed and their land is being confiscated in South Africa.”
He added that the farmers “happen to be white”, but their race “makes no difference” to him.
In February, Trump passed an executive order that expedited the refugee applications of Afrikaners, who are mainly descendants of Dutch colonists who resided in South Africa.
The executive order followed a month after the Trump administration suspended all other refugee admissions.
PolitiFact, a nonprofit that fact-checks elected officials, has discredited Trump's claims as of May 20.
A warm welcome for the Afrikaners
The BBC reported that on May 12, the Afrikaners were greeted at Washington Dulles International Airport by U.S. authorities. The arrival area was adorned with red, white and blue balloons and many were given U.S. flags to wave
At the airport, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said it was an honour for the U.S. to receive the Afrikaners.
“We’re sending a clear message that the United States really rejects the egregious persecution of people on the basis of race in South Africa,” he added.
Ramaphosa's chaotic visit
In view of weakening diplomatic ties, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the White House the following week to "reset the strategic relationship between the two countries", according to a statement from his office.
During the meeting held in the Oval Office on May 21, Trump dimmed the lights to play a video of extremist political leaders singing an anti-apartheid song.
Ramaphosa said these politicians were not part of the government.
Additionally, when asked where the alleged grave sites of white farmers were, Trump answered "South Africa".
According to the BBC, Ramaphosa kept his cool despite Trump's provocations, appealing to the golf-loving U.S. President by bringing two of South Africa's top golfers along to the meeting.
Even with its tense moments, Ramaphosa later told reporters that the meeting was a "great success".
He added that he did not think Trump fully believes that there is genocide in South Africa.
Previously, in response to Trump’s criticisms of South Africa’s land policy, Ramaphosa said that South Africa has yet to seize any land and the law ensures “public access to land in an equitable and just manner as guided by the constitution”.
The Guardian reported that at a conference, he said that he had told Trump by phone that he had received false information about white South Africans being discriminated against.
The misinformation was from people who disagreed with government efforts to redress the racial inequalities that persist after white minority rule ended three decades ago, Ramaphosa said.
Why the U.S. has granted Afrikaners refugee status
Trump’s executive order to admit Afrikaners came in response to a law Ramaphosa signed in January.
According to NBC News, the law allowed the government to seize privately owned land without compensation, provided it was in the “public interest” and approved by a judge.
This move followed calls for land reform from activists and politicians who sought to redistribute farmland owned by the white minority. Even though black South Africans make up 90 per cent of the population, they only own 4 per cent of private land.
South African-born Elon Musk, one of Trump’s closest advisors, has accused South Africa of passing “racist ownership laws”. He also claimed there was a “genocide of white people” there.
However, The Straits Times reported that out of 26,000 murders in South Africa last year, only 44 were linked to farming communities, according to police statistics. Crime researchers have said that the overwhelming majority of murder victims are black.
Special treatment
According to The Washington Post, the U.S. did not involve the United Nations (UN) in resettling the Afrikaners as it typically did.
Eujin Byun, a spokeswoman for the UN Refugee Agency, said it had not been involved in the screening for the Afrikaners and was not approached to participate.
Under the U.S. immigration system, refugees are highly vetted and often wait up to several years to be screened before coming to the U.S.
In 2024, no South African of any race, ethnicity or linguistic group was vetted by the UN as meeting its criteria to be resettled as refugees.
The U.S. government also typically works with the UN to book flights for refugees. However, documents show that State Department officials have instead directly sought charter planes for the Afrikaners that arrived on May 12, a measure that usually only occurred during emergencies.
Trump’s crackdown on immigration
Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has radically overhauled the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
The USRAP allows refugees who fear persecution in their home country to seek asylum in the U.S. It has resettled over 3 million people to the U.S since its creation in 1980.
According to the BBC, many refugees, including those from war zones, have been denied resettlement in the U.S. In total, Trump’s reforms have resulted in over 120,000 conditionally approved refugees left in limbo.
Beyond that, government funding for refugee resettlement organisations has also been slashed. These organisations help the refugees find jobs, housing and other government aid.
Following lawsuits filed by some of these organisations, a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to admit around 12,000 refugees who had been approved to arrive before the suspension in refugee resettlement programmes.
However, it is unclear when that may happen.
Additionally, on the same day the white South Africans arrived in the U.S., the Trump administration ended legal protections against deportation for Afghans, citing an improved security situation in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Top images via President Donald J. Trump/Instagram & U.S. Department of State/Instagram