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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new visa restriction policy on September 15 targeting foreign nationals responsible for or complicit in South African laws or policies that enable uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination or the incitement of imminent violence against members of minority ethnic or racial groups. The measures, issued under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, follow President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14204 on addressing egregious actions by the Republic of South Africa. Rubio stated that the South African government had not adequately addressed previously laid out concerns, adding that the United States will not allow such behavior to go unchecked as these actions undermine peace, economic stability and the rule of law.
The policy may also cover certain family members of those affected, according to the State Department announcement. Rubio’s statement referenced ongoing US concerns about racially motivated crime and government-sponsored discrimination against Afrikaners and other minority populations. A separate State Department release tied the restrictions directly to threats of land expropriation without compensation and incitement of racial violence through dehumanizing chants and slogans.
A 2017 land audit by South African authorities found that white South Africans, who account for less than 7.3 percent of the population, owned 72 percent of farms and agricultural holdings held by individuals while black Africans owned 4 percent. The government’s land reform initiatives seek to redress inequalities rooted in the apartheid era, when black citizens faced systematic dispossession under colonial and apartheid rule. South African officials have consistently rejected claims of discrimination or persecution against white people, arguing that notions of white racial superiority threaten the country’s post-apartheid unity, sovereignty and diplomatic relations.
Rubio urged the South African government to quickly address the issues, describing the visa curbs as only the first step in a series of potential escalatory measures. The announcement builds on earlier Trump administration actions, including prioritization of refugee admissions for Afrikaners facing alleged persecution. A presidential determination increased the refugee ceiling for fiscal year 2026 specifically to accommodate additional Afrikaners from South Africa in response to reported incitement of racially motivated violence.
Ties between the two nations have deteriorated over South Africa’s land policies, its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and other disputes, according to reports from Reuters and Bloomberg. The US has separately cut aid programs and imposed tariffs on South African goods amid the disagreements. South Africa’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the visa policy.
The visa restrictions arrive as the Trump administration has reshaped aspects of US refugee policy to focus on white South Africans, with more than 6,000 admissions recorded under adjusted programs according to government data. Rubio’s statement reiterated that such discriminatory actions are incompatible with pillars of American foreign policy. Pretoria maintains that its policies promote equity without targeting any racial group for persecution.
