White South Africans to arrive in US under exception to Trump’s refugee ban: Report

By Beril Canakci

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Trump administration is preparing to admit the first group of white South African refugees early next week, despite a sweeping freeze on most refugee admissions that has left thousands from other countries stranded, The New York Times reported Friday.

The Afrikaners—members of South Africa’s white minority—have been granted entry under a newly created exception to President Donald Trump’s refugee ban, which halted most admissions shortly after he took office.

In a Feb. 7 executive order, Trump directed the US to begin resettling Afrikaner refugees, describing the group as "victims of unjust racial discrimination."

According to a Department of Health and Human Services memo cited by the Times, government officials plan to greet the group at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia. While logistics may still cause delays, the Afrikaners were expected to arrive on Monday, according to the report.

Critics argue the administration’s decision to fast-track Afrikaners while stalling or blocking other vulnerable populations reveals a racially selective asylum policy.

“This flies in the face of the government’s claims that they aren’t able to process already-approved refugees, even after multiple courts have ordered them to do so,” said Melissa Keaney, an attorney with the International Refugee Assistance Project.

“Thousands of refugees unlawfully stranded by President Trump’s refugee suspension are in limbo and are ready to restart their lives in the United States. There is no more time for excuses,” she said.

Unlike many refugees who spend years awaiting resettlement—including Congolese families and Rohingya Muslims—the Afrikaners’ applications were processed in less than three months.

According to the report, that’s a sharp departure from the usual 18–24-month vetting period under previous administrations.

Trump also signed an executive order in February cutting US financial assistance to South Africa. The order cited concerns over the country’s land expropriation policy, its support for a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and its growing ties with Iran.