THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2025 21 reporters that they were selected to immigrate to the U.S. in part because they would be able to “easily assimilate” into the country. The arrivals are part of a Trump administration program aimed at Afrikaners claiming to be victims of racial discrimination. The program follows lobbying by South African groups such as AfriForum, whose leaders visited Washington in 2018 to promote claims that white farmers were being targeted. Their message gained traction after coverage by Fox News, which prompted Trump to order a review of land seizures and violence in South Africa. The issue resurfaced during South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s May 21 visit to the White House. Trump presented Ramaphosa with video footage and documents he claimed proved antiwhite violence. (Reuters and other outlets found that some of the images depicted scenes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, not South Africa.) Ramaphosa responded that this was not government policy, that crime in South Africa affects all racial groups, and that his government opposes such rhetoric. “We have a multiparty democracy in South Africa that allows people to express themselves,” he said. At the same time, the administration announced on May 12 that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Afghan nationals would be revoked, citing an “improved security situation.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that conditions no longer met TPS criteria. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) urged caution, citing the Taliban’s known targeting of Afghans who supported U.S. operations. n This edition of Talking Points was compiled by Mark Parkhomenko, Lisa Heller, and Donna Gorman.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODIyMDU=