Several Afrikaners who say they were approved for U.S. refugee resettlement report that their airline tickets were canceled days before departure, leaving families in limbo and forcing some to repeat time-limited medical screening requirements.
Several Afrikaners in South Africa who were approved to resettle in the United States as refugees have had travel plans disrupted at the last minute, according to interviews published by The Daily Wire.
The outlet reported that multiple applicants received one-way airline tickets and then were notified shortly before departure that the trips were canceled and their cases returned to an “in progress” status. The Daily Wire said the cancellations were communicated through Church World Service (CWS), which operates Resettlement Support Center Africa (RSC Africa), a U.S.-funded processing hub that helps prepare U.S.-bound refugees from sub-Saharan Africa.
The situation has added pressure for families who had already quit jobs, sold vehicles, or given up housing in preparation to depart, The Daily Wire reported. The outlet also said some applicants’ required medical examinations expired after delays, requiring repeat testing and vaccinations.
The delays come amid broader policy changes to the U.S. refugee program. On February 7, 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14204, which directed federal agencies to prioritize refugee admission and resettlement for Afrikaners in South Africa described in the order as “victims of unjust racial discrimination.”
Later, the administration set a refugee admissions ceiling of 7,500 for fiscal year 2026—down from a 125,000 ceiling previously set for the prior year. A presidential determination published in the Federal Register said admissions would be primarily allocated to Afrikaners from South Africa under the February 2025 executive order, as well as other victims of discrimination.
CWS did not respond to The Daily Wire’s request for comment, the outlet reported. A State Department spokesperson told The Daily Wire that the administration was prioritizing the resettlement of Afrikaners “escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination,” while declining to discuss individual cases.
Separately, CWS has been involved in litigation challenging aspects of the administration’s refugee policy, including what opponents describe as a discriminatory preference for white South Africans, according to The Daily Wire. Broader debates over the underlying claims of persecution have continued, with fact-checking organizations and South African officials disputing narratives of a widespread, government-driven campaign targeting white South Africans.
