- A group of 42 refugees from 18 Afrikaner families landed at Washington Dulles International Airport as part of Donald Trump's resettlement programme
- Among the arrivals was Tina Burger, whose farmer husband was murdered nearly three decades ago, just a week before she gave birth
- One young mother said her family had kept their children's lives limited to school, church and home out of fear for their safety in South Africa
Source: Twitter
US - Forty-two South African Afrikaner refugees touched down at Washington Dulles International Airport on Tuesday evening, becoming the latest group to arrive in the United States under President Donald Trump's refugee resettlement programme.
The Daily Wire reported exclusively on 21 October 2026 that the arrivals came from 18 families and form part of a broader initiative that has brought more than 17,000 South Africans to the US since Trump signed an executive order in February 2025.
Refugees ready to build new lives in America
Among those who stepped off the plane was Tina Burger, who arrived alongside her second husband, Fred. Tina's story is one of profound loss. Her first husband, a farmer, was killed by an unknown attacker close to 30 years ago, just one week before she gave birth. Now in America, she is focused on what she can offer rather than what she has left behind.
"I want to mean something. I want to give something of myself to your country to say thank you for what you are doing for me," she told The Daily Wire.
Another refugee, who chose not to be named, said he was not looking for special treatment, only equal opportunity. He also spoke about personal loss, saying he knew three people who had been murdered in South Africa in recent years.
See X post from the Daily Wire here:
Trump administration welcomes Afrikaner families
At the airport, the families were greeted with American flags and gift bags filled with patriotic materials and information about the country's founding values. US Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Alex Adams was present to welcome them, saying the new arrivals intended to work hard, blend into American society and become self-sufficient.
The Trump administration has framed the programme as a response to what it describes as discrimination and safety risks faced by white Afrikaners in South Africa. A February 2025 executive order pointed to the country's Expropriation Act, which permits land to be taken without compensation under specific conditions, as evidence of racially targeted policy. The South African government has consistently rejected those characterisations, stating that Afrikaners are not being persecuted on the basis of race.
According to The Daily Wire's report, the Trump administration plans to resettle more than 17,000 additional Afrikaner refugees in the United States in the coming year.
Ramaphosa criticises Afrikaners relocating to the US
Briefly News also reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa labelled South Africans who travel to the United States to seek refugee status as acting in the "most unpatriotic" manner, saying he finds it "unbelievable" that people continue to accept and repeat what he described as falsehoods about South Africa.
Source: Briefly News