U.S. to Resettle White South African Afrikaners as Refugees Under Trump’s Executive Order

The United States is preparing to welcome the first group of White South Africans designated as refugees, with their arrival expected early next week, according to a report by The New York Times on Friday. The report, based on information from officials briefed on the plans and documents reviewed by the newspaper, outlines the developments in detail.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump intends to dispatch government representatives to Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia for an event commemorating the arrival of these South Africans, who are part of the White minority Afrikaner ethnic group. The New York Times cited a memo from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as its source.

Neither the White House nor the Department of Health and Human Services has released any official statements on the matter.

Initially, the administration had planned to welcome the Afrikaners on Monday. However, officials with knowledge of the situation noted that the timeline remained uncertain due to variables such as flight scheduling and the processing of the refugee group, according to the report.

President Trump signed an executive order on February 7 instructing the U.S. to begin resettling Afrikaner refugees. The order described the Afrikaners—descendants primarily of Dutch settlers—as “victims of unjust racial discrimination,” following the passage of a land reform law in South Africa.

In response, South Africa’s Foreign Ministry stated in February that Trump’s executive order “lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognise South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid.”

The executive order was issued shortly after Trump had suspended all U.S. refugee admissions, citing security risks and financial burden. As a result, thousands of vetted and approved refugees from countries like Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo were blocked from entering the U.S.