WASHINGTON – The United States Department of State on September 15, 2026, announced a new visa restriction policy aimed at foreign nationals involved in race-based discrimination, the enactment or implementation of laws enabling uncompensated land seizures, and the incitement of imminent violence against minority ethnic or racial groups in South Africa.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued the policy in a press statement, citing ongoing U.S. concerns over conditions in South Africa. The announcement references President Trump’s Executive Order 14204, titled “Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa.”
According to the statement, the United States remains “gravely concerned about racially motivated crime and government-sponsored discrimination occurring against the Afrikaners and other minority populations in South Africa, including race-based discriminatory legislation, threats of land expropriation without compensation, and incitement of racial violence through dehumanizing chants and slogans.”
The new restrictions are imposed under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This provision allows the Secretary of State to deem inadmissible any alien whose entry into the United States “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.” Certain family members of those targeted may also be subject to the restrictions.
“The South African government has not adequately addressed the previously laid out concerns and so today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy,” Rubio said. “The United States will not allow such behavior to go unchecked. These actions directly undermine peace, economic stability, and the rule of law, and they are incompatible with the pillars of America’s foreign policy.”
The statement concludes by again urging the South African government “to quickly address these egregious actions.”
The policy specifically targets individuals responsible for or complicit in the relevant laws, policies, discrimination, or incitement related to minority groups in South Africa. No specific individuals or additional implementation details were named in the announcement.
