Trump's white refugee obsession runs into an awkward problem
President Donald Trump's initiative to facilitate refugee resettlement for white South Africans has encountered an unexpected obstacle: the targeted population appears largely uninterested in relocating to the United States, prompting officials to consider an expensive advertising campaign.
State Department officials are weighing a proposal to spend approximately $335,000 on research and promotional efforts to understand and address the lackluster response to the program, according to internal documents obtained by The Guardian.
Applications from Afrikaners have "trended lower than expected" since the administration launched simplified online registration in November 2025, the proposal acknowledges. Officials concede they lack understanding of what factors are deterring potential applicants.
"There's currently little research about why Afrikaners are not applying to request referral into the US Refugee Admissions Program," the document states.
The proposed campaign would unfold in three phases. Initial focus groups would be conducted in several South African communities, including Pretoria, Stellenbosch, and Orania—a town founded in 1991 by Carel Boshoff III, son-in-law of apartheid architect H.F. Verwoerd, where only Afrikaners are permitted to live and work. The community has grown to approximately 3,000 residents with a reported annual growth rate of 17 percent.
A subsequent survey of 1,000 Afrikaners would test messaging strategies, followed by a six-month online advertising campaign conducted primarily in Afrikaans, which is spoken by approximately 6.6 million South Africans as a first language. The research and advertising plan remains under review and has not received final approval.
The lukewarm response stands in stark contrast to initial expressions of interest. In March 2025, the U.S. Embassy in South Africa reported receiving a list of more than 67,000 people who had expressed interest in the program. However, media reports indicate only about 400 white South Africans had been granted asylum by the end of September 2025.
Residents of Orania have publicly stated their preference to remain in South Africa rather than accept the administration's offer, with multiple reports documenting their commitment to staying in their community despite the resettlement opportunity.
Executive order and policy context
Trump signed Executive Order 14204 on February 7, 2025, which halted all U.S. foreign aid to South Africa and directed the State and Homeland Security Secretaries to prioritize Afrikaners for refugee resettlement. The order cited claims of unfair property seizures and racial discrimination against white South Africans.
The administration has promoted narratives about threats facing white South Africans, despite such claims being disputed by experts and denied by the South African government. These assertions gained traction following South Africa's passage of the Expropriation Act 13 of 2024, signed into law on January 23, 2025, after five years of legislative debate.
South African officials have emphasized that the law makes no racial distinction in property seizures and targets unused, abandoned, or under-utilized land rather than singling out white farmers. According to a 2017 audit, white South Africans—who comprise approximately 7-9 percent of the population—owned 72 percent of the nation's farmland, reflecting historical inequalities the law aims to address.
South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola directly challenged the administration's characterization of the situation.
"The story of white genocide does not exist, it's fake news,"Lamola said during a discussion in New York, adding that no evidence supports the White House claims.
Refugee admission numbers
Trump initially set the fiscal year 2026 refugee admissions cap at 7,500—the lowest in the program's 45-year history—down from the Biden administration's cap of 125,000 for fiscal year 2025. On May 21, 2026, Trump raised the ceiling to 17,500, with additional slots allocated primarily for Afrikaners.
According to Pew Research Center data from August 2026, South African refugees accounted for nearly all refugee admissions to the United States in fiscal year 2026, with 10,258 refugees admitted through the first ten months. Before fiscal year 2026, South Africans never appeared among the top refugee origin groups—a dramatic shift in historical patterns.
The United States admitted 16,292 refugees in the fiscal year ending September 30, with South Africans representing nearly the entire total. Despite these numbers, officials remain disappointed with application rates, prompting consideration of the advertising initiative.
A State Department spokesperson defended the administration's approach:
"We continue to process and admit as refugees Afrikaners in South Africa who are escaping the threat of government-sponsored race-based discrimination. President Trump has been very clear that we are prioritizing the resettlement of Afrikaners in South Africa who are escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination."
Diplomatic tensions
Relations between Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa have been strained. During Ramaphosa's visit to the White House on May 21, 2025, Trump presented what he described as "evidence" of mass killings of white South Africans. The photographs reportedly showed humanitarian workers lifting body bags in Goma, Congo—not South Africa—according to media reports.
