First Group of White South African Refugees Heads to US

The first group of white South Africans taking part in the Trump administration's controversial relocation program left South Africa Sunday en route for the US, where they will have refugee status. The 49 people, members of the country's minority Afrikaner group, departed Johannesburg on a private charter flight bound for Washington, DC, where they are expected to land Monday morning, the AP reports. Families waiting to depart told reporters they'd been instructed not to answer questions, the New York Times reports. A February executive order from US President Trump accused South Africa's Black-led government of "race-based persecution" against Afrikaners, and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller says this is just the first flight in what will be a "much larger-scale relocation effort."

The South African government disputes Trump administration's claims, calling them "completely false," and says Afrikaners, the descendants of Dutch and French colonial settlers of South Africa, remain among the country's "most economically privileged" citizens. Though just 7% of South Africa's population is white, for example, that 7% owns about half the farmland in the country. Officials also deny state-sanctioned discrimination or race-based attacks against Afrikaners, noting that their language and culture maintain official and prominent status in national life. White South Africans also have higher rates of employment, higher wages, and lower rates of poverty. And the controversial law cited by the Trump administration—land expropriation without compensation—has not actually resulted in any expropriations, South African authorities say.

The relocated families are being met at Dulles International Airport by US officials, with support for their resettlement—including housing, furniture, household items, and help with other expenses including groceries and clothing—already in place. The Trump administration has also severed US aid to South Africa, citing not only what it says are the country's anti-white policies but also broader disagreements, such as South Africa accusing Israel, an ally of the US, of genocide over the war in Gaza. Meanwhile, refugee groups are questioning why this particular group is being given not only priority but an expedited status when refugee programs for other countries (for which vetting can typically take years), including those ravaged by war, famine, or natural disasters, have been almost entirely stopped. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)