More than 13,000 Afrikaners have moved to the United States since May 2025 under a controversial refugee programme launched by Donald Trump. But as arrivals accelerate—with over 2,600 admitted in August alone—dozens of applicants are now receiving rejection letters that have left them bewildered, stranded, and questioning everything they believed.
The programme, announced via executive order in February 2025, was framed as a lifeline for white South Africans whom Trump falsely claimed were victims of a “white genocide.” The first cohort of 68 arrived that May. The US simultaneously shut down its refugee programme for anyone else fleeing war and persecution.
The Scale of the Exodus
Since then, the numbers have grown substantially. State department figures reveal that more than 13,000 Afrikaners have been resettled across communities in America. The pace has quickened considerably, with over 2,600 admitted in August 2026 alone—a sign that, despite emerging complications, the flow shows few signs of abating.