Afrikaner Farming Family Escapes South Africa for Alabama Under Trump’s Refugee Program - Bio Points News

🇿🇦 An Afrikaner Farming Family Moves from South Africa to Alabama, USA

In May 2024, a farming family from South Africa arrived in the United States to start a new life. The family, led by Errol Langton, left their home country because they felt unsafe and feared for their future. Errol, his wife, his son, three daughters, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren made up the family of nine. They came from a town called Hibberdene, a small coastal area in South Africa.

The Langton family is Afrikaner, a white ethnic group in South Africa whose ancestors originally came from Europe (mostly Dutch settlers) many years ago. For a long time, Afrikaners were the ruling minority during the apartheid era — a system where white people controlled the government and Black South Africans were oppressed and discriminated against.

After apartheid officially ended in 1994, South Africa became a democratic country with equal rights for all races. But some Afrikaner families, especially farmers, claim they have faced threats, attacks, and financial troubles over the years.

📜 Why Did the Langtons Leave South Africa?

Errol Langton explained that he had wanted to leave South Africa for 10 years because he believed it was dangerous to be a white farmer there. He claimed that government officials once came to his farm and physically threatened him while demanding money. He also felt that his family was being discriminated against because they were white Afrikaners.

In recent years, some people in South Africa have supported the idea of land reform, where land that was taken by white settlers during apartheid would be redistributed to Black South Africans. This led to heated debates, protests, and, according to some reports, attacks on farmers.

However, South African police data does not confirm the idea of a "white genocide" or mass killings of white farmers, which some foreign politicians and media have claimed. Between April 2020 and March 2024, 225 people were killed on farms in South Africa. Out of these, 101 were farmworkers (mostly Black), and 53 were farmers (usually white). This data shows that violence affects people of all races in farming communities.

Despite this, Errol Langton and others still believed it was safer for their families to leave the country.

🛫 How Did They Come to the United States?

When President Donald Trump was in office, he made many changes to America’s immigration and refugee programs. In one of his decisions, he created a special, fast-track immigration path for white Afrikaners from South Africa. He claimed they were victims of violent attacks and land confiscations.

In May 2024, about 59 Afrikaners — including the Langton family — arrived in the United States under this new program. Most of them landed in Birmingham, Alabama. The U.S. embassy in South Africa reportedly asked them not to speak with the media while traveling.

Errol Langton said he was very thankful to Trump for creating this opportunity. His family moved because of the threats they experienced and financial problems in South Africa.

🏠 Settling in Alabama

Since arriving in Birmingham, the Langton family has been getting used to their new surroundings. Errol's brother already lives in the city, which made it a more comfortable choice for them. Another reason they chose Alabama is because the climate is similar to South Africa — hot and humid.

At first, the Langtons stayed at a refugee support office called Inspiritus, where they signed documents and looked for apartments. They also started adjusting to American culture, like eating new foods and driving on the opposite side of the road.

Even though Errol was a farmer back home, he mentioned that he might work an IT job in Birmingham for now. But his dream is to buy land in the U.S. and start farming again, growing vegetables and raising chickens.

⚖️ Political and Social Reactions

Not everyone was happy about the U.S. government giving special refugee status to Afrikaners. Many people criticized it, saying that other refugees from places like Afghanistan, Venezuela, Syria, and the Congo — people who fled war, violence, or persecution — were being left behind. The U.S. refugee program under Trump admitted very few refugees overall.

By 2020, during Trump’s final year as president, the U.S. had only accepted about 11,000 refugees — the lowest number in decades. However, when President Joe Biden took office, he restarted the refugee program and allowed about 100,000 refugees into the country in 2023.

Some immigrants from Venezuela, who were already in Alabama, said they felt hurt seeing the U.S. welcome Afrikaners while rejecting Latin American refugees.