First group of white South African Afrikaner refugees due to arrive in U.S.

White Afrikaaner South Africans show successful enactment of U.S. President Donald Trump successful beforehand of the U.S. embassy successful Pretoria, South Africa, Feb. 15, 2025. Jerome Delay/AP hide caption

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Jerome Delay/AP

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — A radical of 49 achromatic Afrikaners who person been fixed exile presumption by the Trump medication departed South Africa Sunday nighttime connected a charter formation paid for by the U.S. government, and volition beryllium arriving astatine Dulles airdrome connected Monday.

The Afrikaners, descendants of chiefly Dutch colonists, were seen astatine the airdrome successful Johannesburg with trolleys afloat of suitcases, but declined to talk to the media. They are expected to springiness a property league upon accomplishment successful the United States., wherever they volition beryllium greeted by U.S. officials.

One papers seen by NPR said determination would beryllium nutrient and "items for the children" upon arrival. It said the exile services bureau of the Catholic diocese of Virginia would beryllium onsite to connection assistance. After the property league the families volition depart for their extremity destinations successful respective states including Minnesota, Nevada, and Idaho.

The South Africans volition present person a pathway to U.S. citizenship and beryllium eligible for authorities benefits.

Another papers seen by NPR included elaborate guidance for the South Africans arriving. American household members of Afrikaners granted exile presumption would beryllium asked to assistance them. Those who didn't person household successful the state would beryllium "placed successful a determination that has a section enactment to supply you with support," it said.

"Your lawsuit manager volition prime you up from the airdrome and instrumentality you to lodging that they person arranged for you. This lodging whitethorn beryllium impermanent (like a hotel) portion a section enactment helps you place much semipermanent housing," it said.

The South Africans are besides informed: "You are expected to enactment yourself rapidly successful uncovering work. Adults are expected to judge introduction level employment successful fields similar warehousing, manufacturing, and lawsuit service. You tin enactment toward higher level employment implicit time."

However, the papers stated that "Any credentials from your location state whitethorn not automatically transportation to the United States." That past constituent volition beryllium of involvement to galore Afrikaner applicants — immoderate of whom are farmers and person antecedently told NPR they anticipation to proceed farming successful the U.S.

South Africans incredulous

The resettlement effort comes aft President Trump signed an enforcement bid successful February claiming number Afrikaners were being unfairly treated successful South Africa, and offering them imaginable resettlement successful the U.S. Trump besides chopped disconnected assistance to South Africa, which has been successful his crosshairs since helium returned to bureau for its DEI policies and enactment of the Palestinians.

Trump besides says the South African authorities is taking onshore from Afrikaners, but determination is nary grounds of this. The South African authorities did walk a onshore betterment instrumentality earlier this year, allowing successful uncommon circumstances for expropriation without compensation, but zero onshore has been seized. In fact, portion whites successful South Africa relationship for immoderate 7 percent of the population, they inactive ain astir 70% of commercialized farmland.

The South African authorities has been amazed by Trump's attacks, saying helium has been taken successful by disinformation. After learning from quality reports that the archetypal radical of Afrikaners had been granted exile presumption and were headed to the United States, President Ramaphosa's spokesperson slammed Washington.

"These radical won't beryllium stopped from going, albeit nether a mendacious narrative," the spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, told NPR. "There's nary ineligible oregon immoderate factual ground for the enforcement bid sanctioning this action. None of the provisions of planetary instrumentality connected the explanation of refugees are applicable successful this case."

"Disturbingly, 1 has to admit that our sovereignty arsenic a state is being grossly undermined and violated by the United States," Magwenya added.

And it's not lone the South African authorities that has expressed disagreement. Many South Africans — Black and achromatic — barroom a tiny rightwing minority, are incredulous. NPR spoke to mean citizens who were acrophobic contention relations were being acceptable back, 3 decades aft the extremity of the racist strategy of apartheid — an Afrikaner argumentation — erstwhile Nelson Mandela ushered successful a multi-racial democracy.

Many South Africans person taken to societal media to station memes and comedic videos, casting uncertainty connected claims that whites who permission for the U.S. are persecuted, joking they volition miss their "privileged lives, home workers, and formation holidays."

But not each Afrikaners successful South Africa are prosperous. And — similar radical crossed the radical spectrum — immoderate person suffered from convulsive transgression and attacks. It volition apt beryllium these stories that they archer connected accomplishment astatine Dulles.

Refugee advocates successful the U.S. person noted however antithetic it is that the Afrikaners were processed truthful rapidly — determination were astir 3 months betwixt Trump's enforcement orders and the archetypal group's departure for the US. Often, applications for exile presumption successful the US tin instrumentality years to process.

A U.S. authorities employee, who was not authorized to talk to the media, told NPR they considered what is happening successful this lawsuit "immigration fraud."

The Afrikaners accomplishment comes aft Trump efficaciously suspended the U.S. exile admissions programme successful January.

"Across the country, exile resettlement agencies person closed oregon chopped staff, and for refugees astir to alert to the U.S., their question authorizations were cancelled, thousands are present stuck waiting and look increasing danger," Kenn Speicher, who founded NOVA Refugees, a enactment web successful the DC-region, told NPR.