White South Africans granted refugee status by Trump administration arrive
Category: Politics | Posted on May 12, 2025
A flight carrying a group of 59 White South Africans granted refugee status by the Trump administration arrived in the United States on Monday.
They were the first people to be granted refugee status by the Trump administration and are not expected to be the last Afrikaners to come to the US. The South Africans, including children, were greeted upon their arrival at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia by US Deputy Secretary of State Christoper Landau and Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar.
The Trump administration has moved to not only admit but to expedite the processing of Afrikaners as refugees for alleged discrimination. At the same time, it has suspended all other refugee resettlement, including for people fleeing war and famine.
The policy of exempting only White South Africans from the indefinite pause has drawn criticism from the South African government and from refugee advocates.
Landau told the new arrivals that the US was “excited” to have them, adding, “We respect what you had to deal with these last few years.” He noted that many of them are farmers and likened them to “quality seeds” that would hopefully “bloom” in the US.
← Back to Blog
They were the first people to be granted refugee status by the Trump administration and are not expected to be the last Afrikaners to come to the US. The South Africans, including children, were greeted upon their arrival at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia by US Deputy Secretary of State Christoper Landau and Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar.
The Trump administration has moved to not only admit but to expedite the processing of Afrikaners as refugees for alleged discrimination. At the same time, it has suspended all other refugee resettlement, including for people fleeing war and famine.
The policy of exempting only White South Africans from the indefinite pause has drawn criticism from the South African government and from refugee advocates.
Landau told the new arrivals that the US was “excited” to have them, adding, “We respect what you had to deal with these last few years.” He noted that many of them are farmers and likened them to “quality seeds” that would hopefully “bloom” in the US.