They are going back to South Africa — the US is too violent for them.
The Trump administration’s crusade to “save” white South Africans from supposed persecution is backfiring. Instead of embracing his invitation to America, growing numbers of those same expatriates are buying one-way tickets home—disillusioned by the violence, fear, and brutality in Trump’s United States.
Andrew Veitch, who left South Africa for California two decades ago after being carjacked, told Reuters he no longer feels safe in Trump’s America. “People are being shot in broad daylight. American citizens are being shot and killed,” said the 53-year-old.
He plans to return to South Africa this year, joining a wave of repatriations driven by disillusionment with the country that once promised security. “I don’t want to live in a place like this,” Veitch told the outlet.
Trump’s officials have defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who killed two U.S. citizens in January, claiming self-defense—though video evidence disputes that. South Africa, which Trump once accused of persecuting whites, now finds itself welcoming thousands back. South Africa’s government says there is “no evidence” of racial discrimination against whites, and newly relaxed laws have prompted an online rush: 12,000 expatriates have checked their eligibility to reclaim citizenship since November.