In the latest chapter of Donald Trump’s ongoing saga of selective immigration policy, the United States is reportedly gearing up to welcome 54 white Afrikaner South Africans under the Trump administration’s refugee program. This move, which has drawn the attention of civil rights advocates and immigration experts, reveals a glaring double standard in how the Trump administration approaches humanitarian relief.
As Black and Brown immigrants — many of whom are fleeing violence, persecution, and poverty — face heightened barriers, Trump has fast-tracked white South Africans, citing “unjust racial discrimination” against them in their native land. The irony is as thick as it is deliberate.
The Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch colonizers who established a brutal system of apartheid in South Africa, are being welcomed into the United States with open arms. According to an exclusive report by NPR, the group will land at Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C., greeted by high-level officials from the Departments of State and Homeland Security. This level of state-sanctioned fanfare is a sharp contrast to how refugees from countries like Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Central America are treated; they are often detained in squalid conditions or turned away under dubious asylum restrictions.
The speed of the Afrikaners’ resettlement process is nothing short of a sham. Sources within the government have acknowledged that this group received “P1” refugee status — a designation typically reserved for individual cases referred by designated entities due to extreme vulnerability. Yet, in a span of just a few months, these 54 white South Africans have managed to bypass the lengthy and grueling process that typically takes Black and Brown asylum seekers years. According to the American Immigration Council, most refugees wait 18 to 24 months to be processed, yet these Afrikaners were cleared for entry in record time.
Why such preferential treatment?
Trump’s executive order, signed in February, claimed that Afrikaners were victims of “unjust racial discrimination” in South Africa — a narrative popular among far-right circles that portrays white South Africans as the oppressed minority. This narrative is not only misleading but fundamentally dishonest.
According to Time Magazine, white South Africans still hold 10 times the wealth of their Black counterparts. The unemployment rate for Black South Africans is a staggering 46.1%, compared to just 9.2% for white citizens. Yet Trump, along with his billionaire ally and former illegal immigrant Elon Musk, has repeatedly propagated the idea that white South Africans are being systematically oppressed.
Contrast this narrative with the reality facing Black and Brown immigrants in America under Trump’s reign. Haitian immigrants have been forcibly deported despite dire conditions in their homeland. Central American migrants fleeing gang violence are treated like criminals, confined to overcrowded detention centers, and deported with little regard for due process.
And for students who dare to challenge Trump’s policies or even simply hold a different political view, deportation has become a looming threat. The Department of Homeland Security has been weaponized against immigrant activists, with some facing deportation orders for daring to speak out.
Trump’s favoritism towards white South Africans also highlights his administration’s broader strategy of maintaining a white supremacist narrative. His administration has relentlessly targeted Black and Brown communities, both domestically and internationally.
From the family separation crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border to the Muslim travel ban, the pattern is clear: If you are Black or Brown, your humanity is negotiable. If you are white and sympathetic to Trump’s vision, you are a victim in need of protection.
The Department of State has refused to comment on the expedited process for the Afrikaners, but internal documents reveal a clear preference. The Afrikaners are being placed in states like Alabama, North Carolina, Idaho, and Minnesota — regions that have historically leaned toward conservative policies, along with a few overwhelmingly Democratic states, including California and Minnesota. Some of the refugees have family ties in the U.S., while others are being resettled with the assistance of local organizations. They will receive government benefits and a pathway to citizenship, privileges often denied to asylum seekers of color.
The glaring hypocrisy of this policy is hard to ignore. As the Trump administration grants white South Africans VIP treatment, Black and Brown immigrants, many of whom have risked their lives to escape violence and poverty, are subjected to grueling interviews, indefinite detention, and mass deportations. This is not an immigration policy; it’s racial favoritism, dressed up in the language of humanitarian relief.
The arrival of the Afrikaners on American soil is a symbol of everything wrong with Trump’s immigration agenda. It is a stark reminder that for this administration, the value of a human life is measured not by need, but by skin color. And as long as Trump’s policies continue to prioritize whiteness, America’s claim to being a beacon of hope for the world’s oppressed remains a cruel joke.
SEE ALSO:
Trump’s Firing of Carla Hayden is Another Attack on Knowledge and History
Op-Ed: Trump Wants To Make Hollywood Great Again. Tariffs Won’t Help.
