America only accepts white refugees now. That’s not an exaggeration. In 2026, every refugee admitted via the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program was white. And of the 6,668 refugees admitted from October 2025 to today, all but three were white South Africans.
You might read that stat and wonder if you’ve missed something. Was there a coup or a civil war in South Africa? Why are white South Africans (AKA Afrikaners) in need of refugee status?
They aren’t. The South African government has made clear that Afrikaners are in no danger. Alvin Botes, South Africa’s deputy foreign minister, has said publicly that claims of discrimination by some Afrikaners “do not meet the threshold of persecution required under domestic and international refugee law.” An Amnesty International report on South Africa’s human rights record only mentions Afrikaners once, referring to “the US government’s misinformation campaign.”
Misinformation is the wrong word. The so-called plight of Afrikaners is a false conspiracy theory commonly known as “White Genocide.” It posits that white farmers in South Africa are being persecuted and murdered in an attempt to reclaim land by Black South Africans. Like many other false conspiracy theories, it taps into an ugly history (Apartheid) and relies heavily on racist stereotypes to propagate.
How did a false conspiracy theory from another nation end up driving government policy in the U.S.? Because Donald Trump’s MAGA coalition is built on a foundation of disinformation and false conspiracy theories, and Trump feeds them a constant diet of conspiratorial red meat. And it fuels a dangerous feedback loop.
Trump’s campaigns have always relied heavily on communities such as QAnon and MAHA to win elections and drive media narratives. Now that he’s back in power, the false conspiracy theories MAGA adherents believe, no matter how insane they sound, are increasingly driving policy, legislation, and the White House’s political priorities.
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