White Asylum: America's South African Refugees - BBC Africa Eye Documentary

In February 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order offering prioritised refugee status to Afrikaner farmers hoping to escape what he described as a “genocide” in South Africa. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica With America’s 2026 refugee intake capped at just 7,500 people, President Trump’s move to prioritise resettlement of white South African farmers reignited global controversy when he referenced widely disputed claims of forced appropriation of land and a “genocide” against white farmers - claims amplified online by South Africa’s richest man, Elon Musk.  #BBCAfricaEye reporter Claire Mawisa travels to South Africa’s Free State to uncover the truth behind these claims. She meets farmers fearing for their lives after brutal attacks, and others who insist the “white genocide” narrative distorts a far more complex story of crime, inequality, and fear that spreads across races and classes. As tensions rise between Washington and Pretoria, this film investigates how fear, crime and online narratives have collided to create one of the most politically charged asylum routes in the world - and what it means for those determined to go, and those who remain. 00:00 White Asylum: America's South African Refugees 02:30 Trump on white farmer persecution - reality or myth? 04:56 White families begin applying for refugee status 09:32 Boer Lives Matter: Brendin Horner 10:29 Farms and fears: A legacy 17:39 Night patrol on a farm 20:09 'What happened in Rwanda is genocide' 22:35 Are white farmers more at risk? 26:10 Policing the farms: "If we don't do it ourselves, we'll have nothing left." 31:31 'Most farms are owned by whites so inevitably they suffer from those attacks' 37:00 The United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)  37:55 Post-apartheid South Africa 39:35 Orania: A peaceful Afrikaner way of life? 44:22 Divisions created by apartheid 46:38 Generational differences 49:39 A South African story of persecution? 📽️ You may also be interested in watching these documentaries: https://youtu.be/-vQvFRDCa2g https://youtu.be/Qk9HEzcFiZ4  https://youtu.be/QPB42_uLLh0  https://youtu.be/rogZ8BYg-kM  🎥 Check out all Africa Eye investigations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLajyiGz4JeyO2qgCvioQO-BzP1XCajJqt 🎞️ Watch more investigative journalism from our award-winning #BBCEye investigations team at this documentary playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4fa8LK1lptsvoA_spfJhzda Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/ #SouthAfrica #America #Trump #Refugee #Migration #Documentary #Afrikaners #BBCDocumentary #AfricaNews #BBCAfrica