The Asylum They Never Asked For: Afrikaners Say ‘No’ to U.S. Refugee Status

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — A policy offer from Washington meant to provide sanctuary has provoked confusion, resistance, and even offence among many Afrikaners in South Africa. 

While former U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies once proposed granting white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, refugee or asylum status due to alleged persecution, the majority of Afrikaners are not accepting the offer. The reason is simple: they don’t see themselves as refugees.

Amid increasing crime, economic inequality, and political uncertainty in South Africa, a narrative has emerged in some U.S. political circles suggesting that white South Africans, especially farmers, face genocidal threats. 

This controversial framing has spurred proposals to grant them refugee status in the United States, a move welcomed by some American conservatives but sharply rejected by the Afrikaner community itself.

This press release explores Afrikaners’ complex identity, heritage, and decisions who reject the refugee label and instead pursue other legal avenues, such as second citizenships and global mobility options through organizations like Amicus International Consulting.

Afrikaners Reject Refugee Label

The Trump-era proposal to offer refugee protections to white South Africans followed widely circulated reports about farm attacks and land seizures. In 2018, then-President Trump tweeted about the “large-scale killing of farmers” in South Africa and instructed the State Department to examine the issue.

Though based on isolated statistics and disputed evidence, the proposal gained momentum among U.S. right-wing groups, who claimed that Afrikaners were an oppressed and endangered group. Proposals to fast-track asylum were floated, but South Africa’s white population largely dismissed them.

“I was born in this country. I speak Afrikaans, a South African language. My blood, my culture, my family are here,” said a retired educator in Bloemfontein. “We don’t need pity. We need options. And we need them legally and respectfully.”

‘This Is Our Land’: The Cultural Weight of Identity

Afrikaners are a unique ethnolinguistic group in South Africa with deep historical roots stretching back to the 17th century. Though their identity is marked by privilege during the apartheid era, many Afrikaners today are fiercely proud of their cultural heritage—music, language, literature, and faith traditions.

Being labelled a refugee or asylum seeker undermines that identity. For many, it implies a loss of agency, history, and belonging.

“We’re not fleeing a war zone or begging for charity,” said one Johannesburg entrepreneur. “Many of us are exploring dual citizenship or offshore options not out of desperation, but out of strategy.”

Statistics Tell a Different Story

While farm attacks and crime in rural areas are real and troubling, the broader data do not support claims of genocide or systematic ethnic targeting of whites. According to Agri SA and the Institute for Security Studies, farm murders have decreased over the last decade, and black South Africans remain the overwhelming majority of victims in the country’s high violent crime rates.

More than 120,000 white South Africans have emigrated since 2015, but most have done so through skilled migration, investment visas, or ancestry-based applications, not asylum.

Case Study 1: Skilled Migration to Australia, Not Asylum to the U.S.

The Du Toit family of Port Elizabeth moved to Brisbane, Australia, in 2022 after securing a skilled visa through the father’s engineering credentials. Despite financial pressure and emotional difficulty, they refused the label of refugee.

“We wanted a better life for our kids, not a handout,” said Mr. Du Toit. “We went through the legal route. We didn’t need refugee status. We needed a plan.”

Case Study 2: Caribbean Second Passport for Freedom of Movement

A Cape Town-based IT professional and his spouse obtained Grenadian citizenship in 2024 through the country’s investment program. The couple, still living in South Africa, diversified their mobility options for future planning.

“I don’t feel unsafe day-to-day,” said the IT professional. “But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about the future. If things worsen politically, we can now act. That’s not something a refugee has. That’s something a global citizen has.”

Amicus International Consulting Offers Legal Alternatives

Rather than perpetuating a narrative of victimhood, organizations like Amicus International Consulting are helping South Africans, including Afrikaners, achieve global mobility through legal, respectful, and discreet programs.

“Our clients want options, not labels,” said a spokesperson for Amicus. “We help them acquire second passports, offshore residency, and legal identity transitions in full compliance with international law.”

Amicus provides solutions such as:

• European citizenship by ancestry (Netherlands, France, Germany)

• Caribbean Citizenship by Investment (St. Kitts & Nevis, Grenada, Dominica)

• Legal identity change for clients under political, economic, or domestic threat

• Offshore asset protection and global tax planning

• Alternative residencies in Portugal, Panama, and the UAE

Why Refugee Status Fails the Afrikaner Narrative

There is a stark difference between needing to escape persecution and preparing for global uncertainty. While South Africa struggles with instability, Afrikaners—especially the middle and upper classes—still retain significant social, educational, and financial capital.

To accept refugee status is, for many, to accept victimhood and surrender autonomy. That message resonates deeply among proud, self-reliant Afrikaner families.

“We have built and rebuilt ourselves before,” said a Pretoria-based business owner. “From British concentration camps to political marginalization. We’re not victims. We’re survivors.”

Second Citizenship: Not Running, But Readying

Many Afrikaners view second passports as lifeboats, not as escape vehicles, but as readiness tools.

“If you have medical insurance, you don’t want to use it. But you’re glad you have it,” said a client of Amicus who now holds both South African and Portuguese passports. “I love South Africa. But I’m also watching things closely. My kids deserve options.”

Amicus International has seen a sharp uptick in inquiries from South Africans—both black and white—interested in legal identity changes, citizenship-by-investment, and risk management planning.

Case Study 3: Legal Identity Change for Privacy and Security

A former investigative journalist from the Western Cape sought Amicus’ services in 2023 after receiving repeated threats tied to political reporting. Though not publicly linked to Afrikaner issues, the client was advised to change names, relocate offshore, and legally reconstruct a new identity under a privacy trust.

“This wasn’t about hiding,” the client said. “This was about survival, and about continuing my work. Amicus helped me stay safe and stay legal.”

A New Future, Not an Exit Strategy

For many white South Africans, especially Afrikaners, the goal is not escape but evolution. They seek to travel freely, open bank accounts globally, protect assets from local currency risk, and ensure access to foreign education and healthcare.

Amicus International’s programs are designed for those who want to stay—but need the ability to leave legally and on their own terms if necessary.

“Calling us refugees misses the point entirely,” said a Cape Town-based financial planner. “We’re not fleeing war. We’re planning for peace of mind.”

Media Misrepresentation and the Danger of a Single Story

The narrative pushed by some foreign media, especially U.S. right-wing outlets, has failed to account for the nuance of the South African situation. While farm murders are tragic and politically charged rhetoric is concerning, the idea of Afrikaners as helpless victims needing mass asylum is not supported by data or community sentiment.

This oversimplification risks harming those truly in need of refugee protection elsewhere and fuels racialized narratives that have no place in modern policymaking.

Conclusion: Reclaiming the Narrative

The Afrikaner response to the U.S. refugee status proposal is not a rejection of international help—it’s a reassertion of dignity. White South Africans, though fewer in number, are not looking for asylum. They are looking for agency.

And with legal and ethical support from organizations like Amicus International Consulting, they are finding it.

About Amicus International Consulting

Amicus International Consulting is a world leader in legal identity transformation, second citizenship acquisition, and discreet global mobility planning. With a network of attorneys, notaries, and compliance experts across 40 countries, Amicus offers lawful, confidential solutions for clients navigating uncertainty in their home countries.

Amicus specializes in:

• Legal second citizenship programs

• Identity change for political, domestic, or privacy reasons

• Offshore financial planning and tax structuring

• Educational and residency planning for families

Amicus operates on the principles of confidentiality, compliance, and client control. For Afrikaners who don’t need asylum but want autonomy, Amicus offers the tools to build a resilient global future.

📞 Contact Information
Phone: +1 (604) 200-5402
Email: info@amicusint.ca
Website: www.amicusint.ca

Follow Us:
🔗 LinkedIn
🔗 Twitter/X
🔗 Facebook
🔗 Instagram