Visa Restrictions Targeting South Africa

The State Department has announced new visa restrictions aimed at the South African government due to its inadequate response to violence against white farmers, according to reports. Back in June, the department had already informed South Africa that it would terminate the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) over this issue, as they were failing to protect white South Africans from violence and displacement. Following the government’s continuous inaction, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that visa restrictions would now apply to individuals from South Africa involved in such discriminatory actions.

Rubio expressed his concerns, saying, “The South African government has not adequately addressed the previously laid out concerns. Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which targets foreign nationals complicit in laws or policies that enable land seizures without compensation, promote race-based discrimination, or incite violence against minority ethnic groups in South Africa.” He emphasized that the U.S. cannot tolerate these behaviors, which undermine peace and stability.

He elaborated on Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, noting that it allows the Secretary of State to deem any foreign national inadmissible if their entry could have severe adverse consequences for U.S. foreign policy. Additionally, he mentioned that these restrictions might extend to certain family members of those involved.

Previously, when the federal government restricted PEPFAR, it requested that South Africa address several key issues, including:

• Offering exemptions or alternatives to U.S. companies regarding the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment laws.
• Encouraging senior officials to more frequently and unequivocally condemn any race-based incitements to violence, such as the controversial “kill the Boer” song.
• Preventing measures that would allow expropriation without fair compensation under the Expropriation Act of 2024.
• Designating rural crime as a priority and allocating more resources to high-crime rural areas.
• Ensuring actions do not interfere significantly with the refugee program under South African law.

Former President Donald Trump had previously voiced strong opposition to the persecution of white South Africans. He notably confronted the South African leader in May 2025, showing him videos of local leaders calling for violence against white farmers. During a meeting with Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, Trump had dimmed the lights to display recordings that depicted calls for genocide against the Boers, a term for white farmers.

While the video played, Trump remarked on the many burial sites of deceased white farmers and their families paying respects. Ramaphosa appeared to either look at Trump or straight ahead, seemingly avoiding the screen. After the video concluded, a reporter attempted to shift the topic, which led Trump to steer the conversation back, criticizing the reporter’s attempts to divert attention from the pressing issue at hand.