White South Africans Trump invited as refugees go back — because America is too expensive
President Donald Trump has only been enthusiastic about allowing one specific group of foreigners into the United States: White South Africans. In fact, data show Afrikaners are the only group admitted by the Trump administration under refugee programs since October, spurred on by conspiracy theories from figures like Elon Musk that there is a "white genocide" going on in that country.
But even as Trump claims Afrikaners are a persecuted minority fleeing oppression and violence, many currently living in America are deciding to go back — because America is too expensive for them.
According to Reuters, "Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said 1,000 people had reclaimed their citizenship, a number he expected to grow significantly as the programme takes off. 'There is definitely a sense of optimism for South Africans abroad,' said Schreiber, part of the white-led Democratic Alliance party that has ruled in coalition with the African National Congress since 2024. He is a returnee himself, having spent time in the U.S. and Germany before coming home in 2016."
Many of those who are returning, per the report, cite "better quality of life" and "lower cost of living," while others cite crime in America as a problem. One such person is Andrew Veitch, who moved to California in 2003 — long before Trump's refugee policy began — after he was robbed at gunpoint in his home country. Now, however, he thinks crime is worse here: "People are being shot in broad daylight. American citizens are being shot and killed. I don't want to live in a place like this."
"A boom in remote working since the COVID-19 pandemic has also helped; three of the returnees interviewed by Reuters kept their jobs abroad.," noted the report. "Many South African professionals have extensive private security at home which minimizes crime risks."
