59 White South Africans Granted Refugee Status, Welcomed by Trump Administration at Dulles Airport

A group of 59 white South Africans arrived at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., on Monday after being granted refugee status by the Trump administration, citing racial discrimination in their home country. In a rare exception to the administration’s near-total shutdown of refugee resettlement, Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau personally welcomed the group, commending their “resilience” and acknowledging “the long tradition of your people.”

“Welcome to the United States of America. It is such an honor for us to receive you here today,” Landau told the group, many of whom waved American flags. “I hope and I trust that the American people have very open hearts. We are a very accepting, we’re a very friendly, welcoming people.”

The group, primarily Afrikaners, was approved for resettlement under a February executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The order cited anti-white discrimination and land seizure laws recently enacted by the South African government. The decision also referenced South Africa’s leadership in the United Nations case accusing Israel of genocide in its conflict with Hamas, which the U.S. administration sharply opposed.

In January, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed legislation permitting land expropriation without compensation, reigniting domestic and international debates over land reform. Despite the end of apartheid decades ago, white South Africans still hold a disproportionate share of land ownership.

The South African government has dismissed the Trump administration’s justification as “unfounded,” stating that the claims of persecution do not meet the international threshold for refugee status. Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa and currently serves in the Trump administration as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has previously accused South African authorities of discrimination against white citizens.

The highly publicized arrival of the Afrikaners sparked protest at the airport. Laura Thompson Osuri, executive director of Homes Without Borders, stood near the check-in counters with a sign reading “Afrikaners are not refugees.” She criticized the administration for favoring one group while thousands of other refugees, many fleeing war and persecution, are being denied entry.

“They're letting in these Afrikaners as quote, unquote refugees, while tens of thousands... that are actual refugees are not allowed to enter,” Osuri said. “It's just performative. They're not fleeing war, violence, persecution.”

The Trump administration had effectively shut down refugee admissions early in the president’s term, freezing funding for refugee programs and severely limiting asylum pathways—except in this case.

The Episcopal Church’s migration ministry announced Monday that it would terminate its refugee resettlement grant agreements in protest. “It has been painful to watch one group of refugees, selected in a highly unusual manner, receive preferential treatment over many others who have been waiting in refugee camps or dangerous conditions for years,” said presiding bishop Sean Rowe in a public letter.