President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind South Africa’s embattled white minority, signing an executive order to prioritize the resettlement of Afrikaners in the U.S. and cutting off foreign aid to South Africa. The move comes in response to South Africa’s controversial new land seizure law, which allows the government to confiscate land without compensation if deemed in the “public interest.”
Trump’s order blasts the South African government for “government-sponsored race-based discrimination,” citing both its land policies and its recent accusations against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The court case, in which South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, further fueled tensions between Washington and Pretoria.
Despite Trump’s offer of refuge, Afrikaner leaders have made it clear that they do not intend to leave South Africa.
Dirk Hermann, chief executive of the Afrikaner trade union Solidarity, said at a press conference, “Our members work here, and want to stay here, and they are going to stay here. We are committed to building a future here. We are not going anywhere.”
Kallie Kriel, CEO of the Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum, echoed those sentiments. “We have to state categorically: We don’t want to move elsewhere,” he said.
While Afrikaner groups are standing their ground, they have strongly opposed the land expropriation law, arguing it unfairly targets white farmers who have worked for generations to cultivate the land.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration has dismissed Trump’s order as “misinformation and propaganda,” claiming that the government values all citizens equally, regardless of race. On Monday, Ramaphosa insisted on X, formerly Twitter, that “The South African government has not confiscated any land.”
Trump’s decision to cut aid to South Africa and extend refugee status to Afrikaners has sparked backlash from Pretoria. The South African Foreign Ministry condemned the move, calling it ironic that the U.S. would open its doors to a group it considers “economically privileged” while simultaneously deporting migrants from other nations.
Trump’s executive order directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to take steps to expedite the resettlement of Afrikaners under the United States Refugee Admissions Program. However, just weeks earlier, Trump had suspended the entire refugee program, citing the strain mass migration has placed on American communities.
The order explains that America “lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees.”
The policy shift now makes an exception for South Africa’s white farmers, whom Trump has long argued face targeted persecution. His decision to extend refugee protections to them while keeping other refugees out sends a clear message: America will stand up for those targeted by state-sponsored racial discrimination while protecting its own borders from unchecked migration.
