A second group of white South African refugees arrived recently in the U.S. under a special resettlement program pushed by the Trump administration. This fast-tracked plan aims to help white South Africans who say they face racial persecution at home.
Last week, nine people, including families, landed in Atlanta on a commercial flight, according to ABC News. This follows the first group of 59 refugees who arrived in Virginia last month on a chartered plane. Both groups came through the Afrikaner resettlement program, which started in February under President Donald Trump.
The U.S. government says white South Africans are targeted by violent crime linked to their Black-led government, granting them refugee status. But South Africa’s government disputes this, calling the claims exaggerated and saying crime affects all races, not just whites.
Originally meant for Afrikaners, descendants of mainly Dutch and French settlers, the program now includes any racial minority in South Africa who can show past or feared persecution.
South Africa’s white population is around 4.5 million, including about 2.7 million Afrikaners, in a country of 62 million people, over 80% of whom are Black.
While the U.S. has not released exact numbers, advocacy groups estimate that thousands of white South Africans have applied to relocate under this policy. The U.S. Embassy says it continues to screen applicants and conduct interviews with those who meet the program’s criteria.