Afrikaner Refugee Family Refused Re-entry Into US After Returning to South Africa for Medical Care
- An Afrikaner family granted refugee status in the US returned to South Africa temporarily just 15 days after leaving the country
- The father explained the family needed medical assistance after arriving in the US and had to return home for treatment
- South Africans weighed in on the news, with many questioning why the family returned if they felt unsafe in the first place
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
SOUTH AFRICA — An Afrikaner family that received refugee status in the United States has been left unable to return after travelling back to South Africa for medical treatment.
The family returned to South Africa just 15 days after landing in the US, after the father and his child fell ill.
Without medical aid, the family chose to return home and use their existing South African medical aid. As noted by News24, the family had not yet been registered on the necessary systems and struggled to locate even a general practitioner.
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"We had not been there long enough to be loaded onto all the systems and so forth. We also still had medical aid in South Africa, and it made sense to come here. We had to. Everything happened so fast — there we were in this enormous country, not even knowing a GP," the father said.
The US immigration rules on return trips
Under US immigration law, refugees forfeit their status if they return to their country of origin without prior authorisation, as such a trip is considered to undermine claims of persecution or safety risk.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services noted that individuals abroad may apply for discretionary travel documents within one year if they can explain the circumstances of their departure and how returning home was safe.
Afrikaner families were accepted into the US under Donald Trump's refugee admission programme, which opened doors for South Africans, who he claimed were being persecuted in the country.
The family is now stranded in South Africa, staying with friends and living out of suitcases after selling their belongings before making the initial move to the United States.
The father admitted he had not considered the immigration consequences of returning.
"We are heartbroken. We tried to rely on their system, but we ultimately had no choice but to come back. I did not think about the possible consequences, and that was foolish of me. We have good medical care in South Africa, and I simply thought to fall back on that," he said.
"We desperately want to go back to the US, but we do not know how. I wish we could continue with the programme. Unfortunately, no one has answers for us right now. Our caseworker has also tried to help, but we currently have no way forward," he added.
What you need to know about claims made against South Africa
- The FW De Klerk Foundation has rubbished Donald Trump's claims about racial discrimination.
- Donald Trump deleted a tweet claiming that South Africa was a dangerous place.
- The US President offered citizenship to farmers and their families if they don’t feel safe in South Africa.
- Elon Musk claimed on X that the media weren’t reporting on the genocide in South Africa.
- Trump claimed that South Africa had a policy of exterminating people, which is why he would not attend the G20.
Trump doubles down on white genocide claim
Briefly News reported in January 2026 that Trump doubled down on comments about white genocide taking place in South Africa.
The President of the United States maintained that he saw the numbers regarding the persecution of Afrikaners in the country.
Trump made the comments after he was asked what it would take for him to believe there was no genocide taking place.
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Source: Briefly News
