Faith Nyasuguta
The United States is preparing to welcome its first group of white South African farmers officially classified as refugees, marking a controversial moment in U.S foreign and immigration policy under President Donald Trump. The arrivals, expected next week at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, follow ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the South African government over land reform.
According to a leaked memo obtained by The Lever and referenced in a New York Times report, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has finalized plans to receive the incoming group, members of the white Afrikaner minority in South Africa. The memo outlines logistical arrangements by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, requesting Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s approval for “emergency mobilization of housing, healthcare, and resettlement services for incoming Afrikaner refugees.”
The Trump administration’s move stems from an ongoing debate surrounding South Africa’s controversial land reform laws, which aim to correct historic inequalities by redistributing land from white owners to Black South Africans. Critics, including Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, have labeled the policy discriminatory and have openly accused South Africa’s government of enabling racial persecution.
South Africa, however, strongly denies targeting white farmers. Officials have invited independent investigations into farm-related attacks, arguing that violent crime affects all racial groups and that the reform is a necessary corrective measure after decades of apartheid-era land dispossession.
Still, President Trump has amplified claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa, a narrative widely discredited by human rights groups and independent researchers. Last month, the U.S. quietly began conducting interviews with white South African refugee applicants in Pretoria, reportedly fast-tracking more than 30 approvals.
The administration argues that these refugees are fleeing threats to their lives and livelihoods and thus qualify for humanitarian protection. “We are prioritizing those facing real danger,” said one senior U.S. official involved in the program.
Human rights advocates and immigration watchdogs are sounding the alarm. Critics say the plan reflects racial double standards, especially when compared to the administration’s far stricter stance toward refugees from Latin America, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa, regions with higher volumes of displaced people and well-documented persecution.
“This move is deeply political,” said one immigration policy expert. “It’s not about humanitarian concern. It’s about optics, ideology, and who this administration deems worthy of rescue.”
In South Africa, the government has responded with caution, reiterating its commitment to land redistribution through legal and constitutional channels. Officials there emphasize that farm violence is often criminal in nature, not racial.
While the number of confirmed arrivals remains unclear, reports suggest this is just the beginning. The Trump administration appears poised to expand its outreach to more Afrikaner applicants, setting up a new chapter in the already charged global migration debate.
As these farmers prepare for a new life in the U.S., the conversation surrounding race, land, and refugee policies is expected to grow even more contentious, both in America and across the Atlantic.
RELATED:
