In a move bound to shake international diplomacy, US Congressman Troy Nehls has introduced a controversial bill that would pave a special path to America for Afrikaans-speaking South Africans.
The bill, dubbed the ‘Afrikaner Act,’ proposes giving this group Priority-2 refugee status—reserved for people facing urgent threats and designated by the US State Department as needing fast-tracked resettlement.
Nehls claims the South African government is systematically targeting Afrikaners, echoing sentiments previously shared by former President Donald Trump, who has labelled their treatment a ‘massive human rights violation.’
The bill’s full name—the Asylum for Farmers and Refugees in Crisis and Necessary Emigration Resettlement Act—seeks to allow Afrikaners, defined in the legislation as rural farmers of European descent, an escape route to the United States. According to Nehls, these individuals face racial and ethnic persecution and need urgent protection.
But the bill’s definition has raised eyebrows. It not only oversimplifies South Africa’s diverse population, but also drastically overstates the number of Afrikaners, many of whom are not farmers and don’t live in rural areas. The act suggests that Afrikaners make up 7% of South Africa’s population, though the latest data reveals a more nuanced picture. Only about 10.6% of South Africans speak Afrikaans as a first language, and just a portion of them identify as Afrikaners. When narrowed down, actual Afrikaner numbers likely represent closer to 4.5% of the population—and not all of them fall under the rural, farming category the bill targets.
Still, the bill would also allow for the spouses, children, and parents of those individuals to qualify—so long as they live in South Africa, as first reported by Business Tech.
Nehls justifies the bill by citing the South African government’s land reform policies, particularly the contentious Expropriation Act passed earlier this year. He and Trump claim the law permits land seizures without compensation, specifically disadvantaging Afrikaner farmers. However, the South African government has repeatedly dismissed these allegations, stating the Act only applies under rare and legally defined circumstances—and certainly not to single out Afrikaners.
The Department of Public Works recently confirmed that no land has actually been expropriated in the past year, despite the law’s passage. Officials also emphasise that the legislation ensures constitutional protections for all landowners, regardless of race or ethnicity.
Yet Nehls is undeterred. ‘The Afrikaner population in South Africa has been experiencing unjust racial discrimination, and the situation continues to get worse by the day,’ he stated. ‘My bill will offer Afrikaners a pathway to the United States to flee the persecution they’ve lived through, initiated by their own government.’
The ‘Afrikaner Act’ marks the second recent legislative push in the US targeting South Africa. Just weeks prior, Republican Congressman Ronny Jackson introduced a separate bill—the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025. This bill aims to reevaluate diplomatic ties between the two nations, citing South Africa’s alleged alignment with “malign” foreign powers such as China, Russia, and Iran.
Jackson accuses the ANC-led South African government of supporting Hamas, making anti-Israel statements, and fostering ties with authoritarian regimes. He’s even received backing from fellow Republican Congressman John James, who argued the ANC consistently undermines US security interests.
Among the concerns listed in Jackson’s proposal are accusations of antisemitism by South African officials, the government’s relations with Russia amid the war in Ukraine, and its cozy diplomatic stance toward China’s ruling Communist Party—despite both countries facing major human rights criticisms.
Critics of both US bills warn that the proposals are based on shaky evidence and risk damaging an already fragile relationship between Washington and Pretoria. South African officials, including former ambassador to the US Ebrahim Rasool, have condemned the recent rhetoric, describing it as ‘extreme’ and accusing Trump of pandering to white nationalist narratives.
Whether the ‘Afrikaner Act’ gains traction in Congress remains to be seen—but what’s certain is that it has reignited fierce debate over race, asylum, and global diplomacy in a deeply polarised US political climate.
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