Second group of white Afrikaner asylum seekers arrives in the United States

A second group of white South African Afrikaners has reportedly arrived in the United States under a controversial refugee policy that President Donald Trump signed earlier this year, reigniting global debate over race, immigration, and political messaging.

The US-based advocacy group Amerikaners reported that nine white South Africans arrived in Atlanta this week through a pilot programme the Trump administration promoted as a response to alleged violence and land expropriation in South Africa, claims that international human rights organisations have widely discredited.

Granted refugee status

The executive order, quietly signed in February, granted refugee status to select white South Africans, citing fears of a so-called “white genocide” – a term critics say is rooted in white nationalist rhetoric rather than verified facts.

Organisations like Human Rights Watch and Africa Check maintain that while farm attacks do occur, there is no evidence of systemic targeting along racial lines.

Among the recent arrivals is Charl Kleinhaus, 46, from Mpumalanga, who told the BBC he left his home, family, and dogs behind to pursue what he called a “safer future” for his children.

Another, 48-year-old Errol Langton, a farmer from KwaZulu-Natal, expressed hope to continue farming in the US.

Fast-tracking asylum

A US government source told The Hill that officials aim to resettle “thousands more” Afrikaners by the end of the American summer and have already expedited consular processing in Pretoria and Cape Town.

This rapid acceleration has triggered concern.

Critics argue that the policy prioritises a racially privileged group while ignoring far more severe humanitarian crises in conflict zones such as Sudan, Yemen, and the DRC.

Still, right-wing US commentators have praised the move as a humanitarian response.

South African reactions, meanwhile, remain split: some see it as a lifeline; others as a dangerous and racially charged distortion of the country’s reality.

Official silence

Both the US State Department and the South African government have declined to comment publicly on the numbers or long-term intentions of the refugee programme.

Analysts warn it could become a flashpoint issue in both domestic and foreign policy – particularly as the US heads into the 2026 election cycle.

For now, however, the quiet arrival of these Afrikaner families marks the start of a broader, more contentious immigration experiment – one unfolding at the intersection of politics, identity, and international diplomacy.