More White Refugees Arriving In America: What to Know
NewsweekJUN 7
Second Group of White South Africans Arrives as US Refugees
Above: Newly arrived South Africans listen to U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar deliver welcome statements on May 12, 2025. Image copyright: Chip Somodevilla/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
The U.S. refugee program for white South Africans is misguided, fueled by a false "white genocide" narrative pushed by right-wing influencers like Willem Petzer and AfriForum. South Africa's high murder rate affects Black communities far more, with 80% of farm attack victims being Black. The program ignores this reality, misrepresents land reform, and prioritizes a small, unrepresentative group, deepening racial divides and exploiting U.S. politics for personal gain.
Right narrative
This refugee program is absolutely necessary to protect persecuted white people facing escalating violence and systemic discrimination. Farm attacks, often racially motivated, terrorize Afrikaners, with gruesome murders ignored by a complicit government. Black affirmative action programs sideline whites economically, while leaders like Malema incite genocide. Trump's program, though small, rightly acknowledges this crisis, offering hope to those trapped in a failing state.