US Enlists ‘Amerikaners’ to Identify Applicants for South African Refugee Program

Afrikaners and members of other minorities who are victims of racial discrimination are being considered for the refugee program.

The first group of Afrikaners from South Africa to arrive for resettlement in the United States listen to remarks from U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Troy Edgar (both out of frame), after they arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., on May 12, 2025. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Embassy in South Africa on Sept. 8 added a group called “Amerikaners” to its list of agencies that help identify applicants for the Trump administration’s Afrikaner refugee resettlement program.

The U.S. mission said that Amerikaners is a designated Department of State referral partner. It will be involved in gathering information from potential applicants to assess whether they have a case eligible to be reviewed by the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), and will refer cases to the department.