Some South Africans may have difficulty getting to the US because the Trump administration has implemented a new visa restriction policy.  

The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on Tuesday announced the policy, which he said targets “foreign nationals involved in race-based discrimination and incitement” and “uncompensated land seizures”.  

In the statement, he noted that there is “grave concern” over racially motivated crime, noting that it feels that the South African government has not done enough to address its concerns.  

“The South African government has consistently failed to adequately address rural crime, violent and dehumanizing rhetoric, and race-based discriminatory policies against Afrikaners and other minority populations,” said Rubio on X.

As @POTUS has made clear, the South African people are being failed by a government that is destroying its economy through an obsessive pursuit of racial grievance against the Afrikaner minority. The South African government has consistently failed to adequately address rural…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) September 15, 2026

The policy is being introduced under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the Secretary of State to refuse any foreign national entry to America if there are possible foreign policy consequences for the US. Certain family members may also be covered. 

The statement, however, did not name any individuals who could be affected by the restrictions. 

The Trump administration has previously raised concerns about South Africa’s land reform policies and legislation on racial inequality.  

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It has also criticised South Africa’s legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the war in Gaza.