As President Trump’s immigration policies become increasingly stringent toward black immigrants, he demonstrates strong support for Afrikaners, descendants of white colonists in South Africa.
According to Fox News, the Trump administration has initiated procedures to welcome some of these individuals to the United States, considering them victims of racial persecution.
On April 11, President Trump accused the South African government through his Truth Social network of “taking white farmers’ lands, then killing them and their families,” as reported by Fox News Digital.
This statement is part of a series of criticisms directed by the President toward Pretoria, which he accuses of tolerating racially targeted violence. South African leaders have consistently rejected these accusations. Some Afrikaners themselves have denied claims of persecution.
Currently, white South Africans hold the majority of the country’s assets, compared to the vast majority of the South African population.
Fox News also reports that the U.S. State Department has confirmed that the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria has begun reviewing applications from Afrikaners seeking to settle in the United States under a humanitarian resettlement program—the same program that the Trump administration has previously revoked for citizens of several predominantly black countries.
While exact figures haven’t been released, over 67,000 South Africans have expressed interest, according to the South African Chamber of Commerce in the United States.
This dynamic is accompanied by regular visits to Washington by South African political groups, including AfriForum, the Cape Independence Advocacy Group, and the Orania movement, which advocates for complete autonomy for Afrikaners in South Africa.
Regarding this matter, Joost Strydom, Director General of Orania, told Fox News Digital: “President Donald Trump’s recognition of us as a people, the Afrikaners, has given our American tour a special dimension.” He clarified that his movement is not seeking to become an exiled diaspora, but rather to gain political recognition from Washington: “We want to be self-sufficient in Africa, not necessarily with American dollars, but with support for our national vision.”
Established in 1988, Orania is an enclave exclusively composed of Afrikaners in the Karoo region. It is experiencing rapid growth, with thriving educational, agricultural, and economic projects. According to Fox News, the settlement has built its own schools, has a university in planning, and has developed a flourishing agricultural economy, all based on independent infrastructure. As a result, Afrikaners do not have an urgent economic need to immigrate to the United States.
This drive for self-sufficiency comes with strong identity-based rhetoric. According to Fox News Digital, Hanli Pieters, a teacher at Orania’s college, stated: “Orania offers what few places can: a safe and meaningful future for Afrikaners. Here, I live, pray without fear, and speak Afrikaans as the living language of my daily life.”
While President Trump supports these initiatives and facilitates their political visibility, criticism mounts, particularly regarding contradictions with his immigration policy. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has not yet officially responded, but Vincent Magwenya, presidential spokesperson, reminded that “these groups do not represent the majority of South Africans,” as reported by Fox News on March 20.
The State Department has confirmed that, under presidential orders, efforts are being made to provide “humanitarian aid” to Afrikaners who are “victims of unjust racial discrimination,” a measure justified by Executive Order 14204, according to Fox News Digital.
This move by the MAGA leader aligns with a broader policy aimed at “whitening” the United States, as studies have indicated that within less than two decades, White Americans will become a minority compared to all combined minority groups.
Since his first term, President Trump has been committed to this whitening approach of the United States. He has extended invitations to citizens from certain European countries to come to America, while simultaneously pursuing an aggressive deportation campaign targeting immigrants from Caribbean nations, Latin America, and several African countries.
