OPINION: White South African emigration
By Dr. James E. Sulton, Jr.
JA International Correspondent
A Manichean philosophy leads people to see the world in purely black-and-white terms. For the adherents of Manicheism, life is a perpetual battle between the world of light and the world of darkness.
Frantz Fanon, the great philosopher of the Pan-Africanist movement, warned us in his iconic book, Black Skin, White Masks, about the political perils of Manicheism. He taught that Manicheism has been at the root of colonialism, neo-colonialism, and racial domination.
Of course, Donald Trump embraces Manicheism. His dislike of Black people guides policymaking for him. He calls Somalis garbage, frequently refers to Black women as having low-IQs, befriends people of color only if they are obsequious towards him, and castigates African American leaders around the world.
Generally, Trump does not know what he is doing. He makes decisions based on what he heard from the last persuasive person who talked to him.
In the case of South Africa, that has been Elon Musk. And that’s a problem. Musk is a South African native, although he left the country at an early age. He is a salesman above all else and often not on speaking terms with the truth.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy of this bromance has been promulgating the myth that white South Africans are being persecuted by their own government. Musk said the land of white farmers was being taken away from them without remuneration. This led the American president to become furious and want to exert vengeance on behalf of the white race.
Last February, Trump signed an Executive Order prioritizing Afrikaners among all world refugees seeking admission into the United States. Assiduous steps were being taken since the beginning of the administration to stop the flow of refugees into the United States. Yet, the POTUS fervently believed this exception had to be made. It seemed only right to him.
Thus, white South African immigration into the US significantly increased in 2025 following issuance of the Executive Order prioritizing re-settlement for Afrikaners alleging race-based discrimination or violence. Since then, this initiative has directed the allocation of more resources to expedite settlement for Afrikaners and stirred resentment in both the US and South Africa.
These developments rendered the recent visit of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to Washington fraught. The South African government was on the verge of hosting the annual G-20 summit. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was contemplating expulsion of South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, which he did the next month and described him as a “race-baiting politician.” Trump himself was targeting South Africa for punitive tariffs. He was also about to announce that South Africa would be disinvited to the next G-20, which he was planning to hold in Mar-A-Lago.
Tensions were increasing between our countries. Trump withdrew US participation in the G-20 this year and deflated the summit.
The immigration exception for white South Africans represents the only group specific refugee carve-out America has. This small minority group that the MAGA regime wants to bring here subscribes to an extremist ideology that has historically resisted integration and democratic reform. The group has also gained visibility through lobbying and international amplification of its supposed plight.
According to Breitbart News, Trump cut off aid to South Africa and claimed, without evidence, that the Pretoria government is seizing white-owned land and persecuting Afrikaners, the descendants of European settlers.
Underlying all this friction was the case South Africa brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing South Africa of perpetrating genocide in Gaza. In December 2023, South Africa instituted proceedings against Israel before the ICJ, alleging violations of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the Genocide Convention) in the context of Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
This case has become one of the most consequential legal and political confrontations in contemporary international law. It raises profound questions about the meaning of genocide, the responsibilities of states during armed conflict, and the capacity of international institutions to adjudicate highly polarized disputes. American presidents, Democratic and Republican alike, have long competed to be seen as the greatest supporter Israel has ever had. Any of them would likely have taken umbrage against South Africa over this lawsuit. The current president chafed egregiously over it.
Still, it is important to distinguish the political subgroup at the center of this current immigration controversy from the broader white South African and Afrikaner populations. This is a fringe group that has latched onto Trump as the leader of white people worldwide and sought his help. They picked the right guy at the right time to ask. Time will tell how this gambit unfolds in the long run.
