“As stated in President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14204, ‘Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa,’ the United States remains gravely concerned about racially motivated crime and government-sponsored discrimination occurring against the Afrikaners and other minority populations in South Africa, including race-based discriminatory legislation, threats of land expropriation without compensation, and incitement of racial violence through dehumanizing chants and slogans,” Rubio said.
Rubio said Washington had previously raised these concerns with Pretoria but concluded that the South African government had not done enough to address them.
“The South African government has not adequately addressed the previously laid out concerns and so today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act targeting foreign nationals who are responsible for, or complicit in, the enactment or implementation of laws or policies that enable uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination, and/or the incitement of imminent violence against members of minority ethnic or racial groups in South Africa,” the secretary continued.
The restrictions are not described as a blanket ban on South African citizens. Instead, the State Department says they are aimed at foreign nationals who are responsible for or complicit in policies meeting the specified criteria.
The legal authority being used is significant. Section 212(a)(3)(C) permits the secretary of state to determine that a foreign national is inadmissible when that person’s entry could have potentially serious adverse consequences for U.S. foreign policy. Certain family members can also be covered by such restrictions.
Rubio made clear that the administration views the policy as part of a broader foreign-policy response rather than an isolated immigration measure.
“The United States will not allow such behavior to go unchecked. These actions directly undermine peace, economic stability, and the rule of law, and they are incompatible with the pillars of America’s foreign policy.”
He added: “We once again strongly urge the South African government to quickly address these egregious actions.”
The latest announcement follows Trump’s February 7, 2025 executive order, which specifically cited South Africa’s Expropriation Act 13 of 2024. The White House said the law could allow the government to expropriate property without compensation in certain circumstances and argued that Afrikaner agricultural property was particularly affected. The order also criticized South African policies involving employment, education and business.
Trump’s order directed U.S. agencies to halt aid and assistance to South Africa to the maximum extent permitted by law. It also instructed the State Department and Homeland Security Department to prioritize humanitarian relief and refugee resettlement for Afrikaners described by the administration as victims of racial discrimination.
That refugee policy has since become a major component of the dispute.
According to September reporting based on U.S. Refugee Processing Center data, the United States admitted 10,258 refugees from October 1 through July 31 of fiscal year 2026. Of those, 10,255 were South Africans.
The administration also increased the fiscal-year refugee ceiling by 10,000 in May, bringing the overall ceiling to 17,500 and allocating the additional places to Afrikaners from South Africa.
The Trump administration has pointed to violence against people living on farms as part of its broader concerns.
AfriForum, a South African civil-rights organization that tracks farm attacks, reported 184 farm attacks and 29 farm murders during 2025. Its figures compare with 176 attacks and 37 murders in 2024.
AfriForum’s research also reported that 36% of the farm attacks recorded in 2025 involved violence it classified as presenting a substantial risk of death. A newer September 2026 report examining 47 attacks between 2019 and 2025 documented allegations of torture, burning, stabbing, strangulation and other forms of severe violence.
Those figures are disputed in their interpretation. South African officials and others have rejected the Trump administration’s characterization of the situation as systematic racial persecution, arguing that farm attacks are primarily part of the country’s broader violent-crime problem.
Nevertheless, Washington has continued to treat the issue as a matter of foreign policy.
The latest visa restrictions now add another tool to that campaign.
Rather than simply criticizing Pretoria publicly, the Trump administration is signaling that individuals connected to the policies Washington objects to could face consequences when attempting to enter the United States.
For the administration, the dispute centers on three principal issues: land expropriation without compensation, race-conscious government policies, and rhetoric that Washington says could contribute to imminent violence against minority groups.
The September action therefore marks another escalation in the rapidly changing U.S.-South Africa relationship.
And with the refugee program already dramatically expanded and Washington continuing to press Pretoria over its policies, Rubio’s announcement suggests the administration is not finished applying pressure.
