U.S. and South Africa reach deal to allow white South Africans move to America

The agreement comes after a December raid on U.S. refugee staff in Johannesburg, allowing the program to continue under South African law.

The program, initiated under President Donald Trump, targets white South Africans of Afrikaner heritage, whom his administration claims face race-based persecution in majority-Black South Africa.

The South African government has rejected these allegations, describing them as unfounded. During a May 2025 meeting, Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with claims of “white genocide.”

Relations between the two countries were further strained after Washington excluded South Africa from the G20 meetings it is scheduled to host later in 2026.

Tensions peaked in mid-December when South African authorities raided a U.S. refugee processing site in Johannesburg.

The raid resulted in the arrest of seven Kenyans working as contractors for a U.S.-based refugee group over allegations they violated visa terms, as well as the brief detention of two U.S. refugee officers.

The U.S. State Department said that despite the “unacceptable events” in December, its operations remained unhindered.

More Afrikaners arrived in the U.S. as refugees in December than in any previous month, and higher numbers were expected in January.

The December 23 meeting in Pretoria involved U.S. chargé d’affaires Marc Dillard and senior South African diplomats Deputy Minister Alvin Botes and Acting Chief Director for North America Thabo Thage.

The U.S. summary indicated the discussions focused on de-escalating tensions and improving communications.

“Botes and Thage appear to have entered the meeting with the aim of de-escalating the recent rise in tensions and improving communications with U.S. counterparts to avoid ‘drama’ and the unnecessary airing of public grievances in the future,” the summary read.

South Africa’s foreign ministry emphasised that the arrests of U.S. contractors were “a law enforcement matter, not a diplomatic signal” and that the refugee program could proceed if it complied with South African law. “To construe adherence to the rule of law as a ‘secret endorsement’ of a specific foreign policy program is a deliberate misinterpretation,” the ministry said.

Officials repeatedly assured Dillard that Pretoria would not block the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

Botes and Thage also recommended that the U.S. increase American staff and contract local South Africans rather than Kenyans to avoid future issues.

“Our position on the so-called ‘refugee protection’ for South African citizens is unchanged: it is based on a false premise that lacks empirical evidence and has been rejected by South Africans of all backgrounds,” the ministry said in a statement.

The summary, emailed to U.S. State Department refugee program staff and labelled “sensitive,” suggests the two nations are quietly seeking a more collaborative approach following tense relations since Trump took office.

During a two-hour meeting late on December 23, South African officials appeared to prioritise calm and coordination rather than confrontation.