White South African Refugees Arrive in U.S. Following Special Resettlement Program

On Monday morning, the first charter flight carrying white South Africans granted refugee status under a special program arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport, according to flight tracking data.

This development represents a significant shift in U.S. refugee policy, which traditionally prioritizes individuals escaping war, famine, or genocide. While refugee admissions were largely suspended early in the Trump administration, a unique pathway was later established for Afrikaners, a white ethnic group historically dominant during South Africa’s apartheid era, to resettle in the United States.

The group arriving on the U.S.-chartered Omni Air International flight expressed that they have faced racial discrimination, limited employment prospects, and violence in South Africa. Forty-nine Afrikaners boarded the flight on Sunday, selected from over 8,000 applicants interested in the program. Detailed information about the individuals resettled has not been publicly released.

The Trump administration expedited processing for these refugees, reducing wait times to less than three months. By contrast, prior refugee resettlement procedures often took between 18 and 24 months, according to immigrant advocacy organizations.

President Trump stated on Monday that the United States is granting citizenship to these individuals, whom he described as victims of genocide.

“Farmers are being killed,” he told reporters. “They happen to be white. Whether they are white or Black makes no difference to me. White farmers are being brutally killed and the land is being confiscated in South Africa.”