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The Trump administration is preparing to welcome the first group of White South African refugees under a controversial new directive that prioritizes the resettlement of Afrikaners, an ethnic group descended from European settlers, according to government documents obtained by CBS News.
The first arrivals could land as early as next week at Dulles International Airport, where a Monday press event is planned to mark their entry, although officials warned the timeline may shift. The move is part of what the documents call a “stated priority” for President Trump, who earlier this year issued an executive order directing the use of the U.S. refugee program to resettle Afrikaners claiming to face “government-sponsored race-based discrimination” in post-Apartheid South Africa.
“Initial arrivals are expected in the near term, with additional individuals anticipated over the coming months,” said a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is helping coordinate the effort.
The Trump administration claims the Afrikaner community is under threat, citing land reform proposals in South Africa that would allow land expropriation without compensation — a measure South African officials have repeatedly denied is racially motivated or even enacted.
This fast-track refugee initiative stands in stark contrast to Trump’s broader crackdown on refugee admissions, which has left thousands of approved asylum seekers from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East stranded after he suspended the U.S. refugee program in January. A federal court recently ruled that the U.S. must resume resettlement for 12,000 refugees who had already been cleared.
Even as the State Department’s traditional refugee vetting process typically takes 18 to 24 months, the Afrikaners have been cleared in a matter of weeks or months, raising questions about equity and transparency in the refugee system.
“This is not just about refugees. It’s about which refugees,” said a resettlement official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Thousands are waiting in camps — but this group gets priority?”
Although President Trump has halted longstanding support programs for incoming refugees, resettlement officials were told they can divert existing Health and Human Services funds to assist the Afrikaners during their first 90 days. That includes support for housing, groceries, clothing, hygiene supplies, and prepaid phones, per internal guidance.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement confirmed it is offering “immediate support” to the Afrikaners using “existing infrastructure and funding,” coordinating with federal and state agencies for integration services.
The State Department said the U.S. embassy in Pretoria is actively interviewing applicants and is prioritizing cases of “unjust racial discrimination.” However, critics argue this prioritization is politically and racially motivated.
“This is a dangerous distortion of what the refugee program was created to do,” said a Democratic staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “It’s not meant to be a vehicle for political favoritism or racial preference.”
The plan has also drawn fire given Trump’s broader record of refugee restrictions and rhetoric about race and immigration, with opponents calling the decision a stark example of selective humanitarianism.
