The Trump administration is preparing to welcome the first group of white South Africans to the U.S. under its refugee program as early as next week, according to three sources familiar with the plans – a controversial move given the broader freeze on refugee admissions from much of the world.
Two of the sources said the initial group – approximately 50 Afrikaners – is scheduled to arrive at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Upon arrival, they are expected to participate in a news conference before continuing on to their final destinations across the U.S.
However, the sources noted the group’s arrival has already been delayed by a week, and the plans remain fluid. As of Thursday afternoon, a charter plane meant to transport them had yet to obtain a landing permit, one source said.
The U.S. State Department, which oversees the resettlement of South Africans granted refugee status by the Trump administration, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NPR first reported the timing of the arrivals.
Trump launched a wide-ranging immigration crackdown after taking office in January, including an indefinite suspension of refugee resettlement. In a related executive order, the Republican president said the U.S. would only admit refugees who “can fully and appropriately assimilate.”
Despite the broad refugee freeze, Trump in February called on the U.S. to prioritize resettling Afrikaners – descendants of mostly Dutch early settlers – saying they were “victims of unjust racial discrimination.”
The assertion that minority white South Africans face discrimination from the Black majority has circulated in far-right circles for years and has been echoed by Trump’s white South African-born ally, Elon Musk.
The average white household in South Africa owns 20 times the wealth of the average Black household, according to the Review of Political Economy, an international academic journal.
In interviews with U.S. immigration officers, white South Africans seeking refugee status have cited land disputes, crime and perceived racism, Reuters reported in April.
The South African government has criticized the Trump administration’s effort, saying it fails to recognize the country’s history of colonialism and apartheid.
“It is most regrettable that it appears that the resettlement of South Africans to the U.S. under the guise of being ‘refugees’ is entirely politically motivated and designed to question South Africa’s constitutional democracy,” South Africa’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement Friday.
Stephen Miller, a top White House official and the architect of Trump’s immigration agenda, defended the program while speaking to reporters, saying the situation “fits the textbook definition” of race-based persecution.
While some Afrikaners have expressed interest in moving to politically conservative U.S. states, Democratic-leaning Minnesota has emerged as a popular choice, two of the sources told Reuters.
Minnesota has a reputation as a welcoming state for refugees, including those from Somalia, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Some also plan to move to Republican-leaning states such as Idaho and Alabama, one of the sources said.
The reason for chartering a flight for the initial group of Afrikaners was not immediately clear. Sources said the charter plane would cost significantly more than commercial airline tickets.
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