Initiating an America First policy, the current U.S. administration has put several measures in place to ensure that illegal immigrants are sent back to their original or third-party countries.
This has seen the United States send off some of its illegal immigrants to countries like Ghana, Uganda, and the Southern African country of Eswatini.
In the same breadth, however, the United States has received a sizable number of refugees, which, according to a recent report, are primarily from South Africa.
Dating back from October, 2025 till present, 4,499 refugees have found a home in the United States of America.
Per the Refugee Processing Center, all but three of these refugees are from South Africa; the remaining are from Afghanistan.
The data reveals that while the U.S. is sending off illegal migrants to Southern Africa, it is also receiving a lot of people from the region, with the caveat being that they are white.
Priority was to be given to Afrikaner South Africans and “other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands”, according to an announcement.
South Africa took exception to the narrative, disputing any claims of discrimination and condemning the U.S.’s decision to admit only white South Africans.
This led to a standoff between the presidents of both countries and ultimately a rift between both nations that led to Trump boycotting the G-20 summit.
History of the squabble between South Africa and the United States
Diplomatic relations between the United States and South Africa have experienced a significant decline following Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration in 2025.
The United States issued formal allegations against the South African government regarding the purported seizure of land from white farmers, though these accusations have been extensively refuted by the South African administration.
This led to a physical meeting between both presidents at the White House, where the South African head of state, Cyril Ramaphosa, was forced to defend South Africa’s position on the subject.
Shortly after, the United States began to roll out trade embargoes to the Southern African country, complicating trade between the two nations, as trade tariffs were set as high as 30% for South African imports.
Furthermore, President Trump elected to boycott the G-20 summit as a gesture of formal disapproval regarding the South African government’s response to its discrimination allegations.
South Africa, in response, announced an unprecedented decision to temporarily step back from the G20 during the United States’ presidency of the forum in 2026.
In March, tensions between South Africa and the United States continued to escalate, as the South African government took offense at a statement made by the country’s U.S. ambassador.
At the time, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, noted that America is losing its patience with South Africa.
He explained that the United States’ recent grievances with South Africa stem from the African country’s refusal to adhere to the following demands: to condemn the “Kill the Boer” slogan, reconsider the Expropriation Act and widespread Black Economic Empowerment, maintain a non-aligned stance, and prioritize farm killings that disproportionately affect white farmers.
