From South Africa to the US, white victimhood knows no borders
Al JazeeraMAR 13
First White South African Refugees Arrive in US Amid Controversy
Above: Newly arrived South Africans wait to hear welcome statements from U.S. government officials in a hangar at Atlantic Aviation Dulles near Washington Dulles International Airport on May 12, 2025, in Dulles, Virginia. Image copyright: Chip Somodevilla/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
This program for a mere 59 Afrikaners escaping violence, discrimination, and land expropriation in South Africa is entirely reasonable, meeting clear refugee criteria. Yet, the left, which for years fervently supported millions of unvetted illegal immigrants, is effectively saying they oppose it because these refugees are white. The media refuses to accept that white people also face and deserve freedom from persecution.
Democratic narrative
The Afrikaner refugee program is baseless, built on the debunked "white genocide" myth peddled by Trump and far-right provocateurs like Tucker Carlson. South Africa’s crime affects all, with farm murders — under 0.2% of homicides — tied to theft, not race. The left’s opposition rejects this fabricated narrative that distorts South Africa’s strides toward equality. This program stokes white supremacist fearmongering, not justice.