A US programme created to resettle Afrikaners from South Africa appears to be slowing as applicants receive rejection letters, according to The Guardian. The initiative followed Donald Trump’s February 2025 executive order, which expanded refugee eligibility to members of a “racial minority” and described Afrikaners as facing persecution.
The first group of 68 white South Africans arrived in the United States in May. The Guardian, citing State Department figures, reported that more than 13,000 people had subsequently moved to the US, including more than 2,600 admitted in August. At the same time, the US halted its refugee programme for people fleeing other wars and forms of persecution.
The number of rejected applications is unclear. US Citizenship and Immigration Services did not provide figures on applications or rejections, while a WhatsApp support group for rejected applicants had 311 members on 10 September, according to one administrator. The rejection letters reportedly said applications were ineligible for continued processing and that decisions could not be appealed, without explaining the reasons.
Some applicants obtained additional information through Freedom of Information Act requests. One man said his application had initially been recommended for approval but was rejected after USCIS considered a marijuana conviction involving his former girlfriend, with whom he had applied. Another couple, identified by pseudonyms, said an old trespassing conviction and an incorrect record of their US-born daughter’s nationality contributed to their rejection. They had sold their home, car and other possessions before receiving the decision.
A further applicant attributed his rejection to misunderstandings during an interview conducted in English rather than Afrikaans. Records obtained through a Freedom of Information request cited “crime involving moral turpitude” and alleged acts of torture or extrajudicial killing; the man said he had fired at a black person in self-defence while working as a security guard and had not been charged.
Afrikaners are descended from Dutch and French settlers who governed South Africa during apartheid. The Guardian reported that official crime data does not show white people or farmers experiencing crime at higher rates, despite claims from far-right groups and Trump. USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler said applications were reviewed case by case, including for public-safety concerns and criminal histories, and said the administration would prioritise Americans’ safety and welfare.