The first group of white South African refugees, fleeing persecution in their homeland, has arrived in the U.S. However, for many on the Left, their asylum has sparked outrage.

Forty-nine Afrikaners, including women, children, and entire families, landed at Washington Dulles International Airport on Monday. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Troy Edgar greeted the arrivals as they walked in waving American flags. “It is such an honor for us to receive you here today,” Landau told the refugees. “This is the land of the free,” and “it makes me so happy to see you with our flag in your hands.”

“[T]hat flag,” he added, “symbolizes liberty for so many of us.”

Their arrival follows President Trump’s February executive order, “Addressing Egregious Actions of The Republic of South Africa,” which condemned South Africa’s Expropriation Act for enabling the seizure of Afrikaners’ farmland without compensation. The order criticized South African policies for undermining equal opportunity and inciting violence against white landowners, noting that white South Africans, roughly 7% of the population, own over three-quarters of private farmland.

Trump also highlighted South Africa’s hostile foreign policy for taking “aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice,” as well as strengthening ties with Iran for commercial, military, and nuclear purposes.

South Africa’s government has rejected claims of persecution, with its Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (MIRC) stating, “The South Africa Police Services statistics on farm-related crimes do not support allegations of violent crime targeted at farmers generally or any particular race.” MIRC Coordinator Ronald Lamola said, “They can’t provide any proof of any persecution because there’s not any. There is not any form of persecution to white South Africans.”

MIRC’s statement added that “there are sufficient structures available within South Africa to address concerns of discrimination. Moreover, even if there are allegations of discrimination, it is our view that these do not meet the threshold of persecution required under domestic and international refugee law.”

However, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller countered that the Afrikaners’ plight “fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created” — hence Trump’s swift moves to grant them refugee status. Trump’s February order vowed to “take appropriate steps, consistent with law, to prioritize humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination.”

The refugees’ arrival, however, has sparked significant backlash from some on the Left. During an interview with MSNBC News, guest Richard Stengel labeled the matter as “deeply and morally wrong-headed and repulsive.” He went on to claim that, by giving asylum to these white Afrikaners, Trump is “taking places away from refugees who are really being crushed by authoritarian governments” — arguing that the white South Africans “have never had anything happen to them.” According to Stengel and the other MSNBC guests, this all points to “white supremacy” and the Trump administration’s “white nationalist project.”

However, the criticism extends far beyond MSNBC. The Episcopal Church’s refugee resettlement organization also refused to assist, with Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe stating, “In light of our church’s steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we are not able to take this step.”

After years of the Episcopal Migration Ministries helping refugees resettle under federal grants, Rowe concluded that “we have determined that, by the end of the federal fiscal year, we will conclude our refugee resettlement grant agreements with the U.S. federal government.”

Meanwhile, some highlight a perceived double standard, noting that Democrats raised little objection to the millions of illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. under the Biden administration — many linked to violent crimes — yet now criticize legally admitted refugees. And amid the heated discussion, social media has amplified evidence of hostility in South Africa.

Circulating on X is a video in which thousands of South Africans are chanting: “Shoot to kill, kill the Boer, the farmer,” referring to the white Afrikaners. There is also footage of Julius Malema, Member of the National Assembly of South Africa, saying, “We must never be scared to kill. The revolution demands that, at some point, there must be killing, because the killing is part of the revolution.”

In a previous interview, Malema said, “[W]e have not called for the killing of white people, at least for now. I can’t guarantee the future.” And when he was called out for the statement, with the interviewer expressing concerns for how radical it is, Malema simply said, “Cry babies.”

As others sidestep these issues, Trump continues to confront them directly. “It’s a genocide,” he told reporters on Monday. “White Farmers are being brutally killed, and their land is being confiscated. And the media doesn’t even talk about it. If it were the other way around, that would be the only story they talk about.”

He continued, “I don’t care who they are. I don’t care about their race, their color. I don’t care about their height, their weight. I don’t care about anything.” Trump stressed, “I just know that what’s happening is terrible. I have people [who] live in South Africa. They say it’s a terrible situation taking place, so we’ve essentially extended citizenship to those people to escape from that violence and come here.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced this stance: “The South African government has treated these people terribly — threatening to steal their private land and subjected them to vile racial discrimination. The Trump Administration is proud to offer them refuge in our great country.”

Ultimately, the debate over the Afrikaners’ asylum reveals deep divisions, with their plight underscoring tensions over race, justice, and humanitarian priorities. But an overarching message, defined by one user on X, rings clear: “Legacy media has identified a group of people being let into the country that enrages them. It’s not millions of unvetted illegals from around the globe. It’s not illegals in MS13 or [Tren de Aragua gangs]. It’s a handful of legal, vetted white South Africans waving American flags.”