The United States has announced a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign nationals it says are responsible for, or complicit in, policies involving uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination and the incitement of imminent violence against minority groups in South Africa.
The policy was announced under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the Secretary of State to restrict the entry of foreign nationals whose admission could have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.
In a statement, the U.S. government said the policy followed concerns outlined in President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14204, titled “Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa.”
The United States said it remained concerned about what it described as racially motivated crime and government-sponsored discrimination against Afrikaners and other minority populations in South Africa.
It cited race-based legislation, threats of land expropriation without compensation, and chants or slogans it said could incite racial violence.
The U.S. government said South Africa had not adequately addressed the concerns previously raised and urged its government to take immediate steps to address them.
It said the actions targeted by the visa policy undermine peace, economic stability and the rule of law, adding that they were incompatible with the principles of U.S. foreign policy.
The statement added that certain family members of affected individuals could also be covered by the restrictions.
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