A lifeline for Afrikaners who are raped, maimed, killed, and driven off their property in South Africa

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said President Donald Trump has provided a lifeline for Afrikaners, who are raped, maimed, killed, and driven off their property.

Kelly released a statement amidst reports about the Trump Administration’s program to resettle European-descended Afrikaners.

Shortly after Trump took office in January 2025, he announced the plan, saying Afrikaners face race-based persecution in majority-Black South Africa.

Trump said that South Africa is confiscating land and mistreating certain classes of people. “The United States won’t stand for it. We will act,” he said.

Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who have significant influence in the Trump Administration, also attacked South Africa’s race-based policies.

Rubio cited South Africa’s new land expropriation law as one of the reasons he snubbed the G20 Summit in Johannesburg.

Musk, in turn, slated Ramaphosa for defending “openly racist ownership laws”, referring to black empowerment laws that differentiate on race regarding business policies.

On 7 February 2025, Trump signed an Executive Order directing federal agencies to prioritise and fast-track refugee status for Afrikaners.

On 12 May 2025, a charter flight carrying 59 white South Africans landed at Washington Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia.

They were greeted by high-ranking U.S. officials, including Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, and provided with resettlement assistance.

The program has scaled up significantly since then, with the latest reports suggesting that nearly 8,000 Afrikaner refugees have been admitted into the United States.

The Afrikaner refugee program is controversial, with critics arguing that white people live a privileged life in the country.

The South African government, other institutions, and experts said that the country is a stable constitutional democracy.

It added that violent crime affects citizens of all races in South Africa, making the refugee designations politically motivated.

International critics also argued that giving preference to Afrikaners over others worldwide does not reflect the humanitarian needs of the world.

However, the Trump administration is sticking to its plan. In May 2026, it announced plans to increase the Afrikaner intake target to 17,500.

This week, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly released a statement supporting the Afrikaner refugee program.

“President Trump has provided a lifeline for Afrikaners, who are being raped, maimed, killed, and driven off their property across South Africa,” Kelly said.

“The South African government and many in the media have brushed off the horrific lived experiences of this community.”

“The Trump administration continues to process applications for refugee status because the President has a humanitarian heart.”