A South African man’s attempt at having a better life in the US turned into a nightmare after ICE officials detained him. Benjamin Schoonwinkel, a 59-year-old white Afrikaner, arrived in the US on a tourist visa, hoping that he would find asylum in the country.
For those unaware, in February this year, Donald Trump announced a refugee program for Afrikaners who were facing discrimination in South Africa.
While entry for all other refugees, even the victims of war, has been banned, the President invited white Afrikaners with Dutch ancestry who feared persecution in their home countries to the US.
When Schoonwinkel learnt of the development, he saw it as a chance for a fresh start. However, instead of applying for the refugee program, he entered the US via a tourist visa and landed in Atlanta in September.
Benjamin Schoonwinkel an Afrikaner one of the White South Africans invited to
the United States by Trump expecting protection, but Instead, he has spent months locked up in Georgia alongside hundreds of other immigrants.
— Fɪᴅᴇʟɪꜱ Zᴇɴɢᴇᴢᴀ Zᴠᴏᴍᴜʏᴀ (@Zvomuya) December 26, 2025
His trouble began when he told the border security officials that he was seeking asylum in the country, in accordance with Trump’s announcement. However, instead of receiving asylum or a refugee status, he was immediately detained and sent to an ICE detention center in Georgia.
Ever since, he has been living in the facility with other immigrants who are facing deportation. But even his fellow inmates were surprised by his arrival, as he is a white man, while most of the people at his detention center are either Latino or Black.
Had Schoonwinkel entered the US with an asylum request before Trump came into power, he would have been allowed to live freely in the country while his case was processed.
However, the Trump administration has enacted a new rule that places asylum seekers in detention centers until their claims are verified.
Thus, while the man thought Trump’s policies would help him build a life in the US, they ended up ruining his life. He now lives in a dormitory in the detention center with hundreds of other immigrants.
According to reports, Schoonwinkel has a 63-year-old US-based friend, Rick Taylor, who resides in Arkansas. He was the one who had suggested that Schoonwinkel move to the US.
Caution! Political rhetoric is not US immigration policy
A South African, Benjamin Schoonwinkel (59), travelled to the U.S. in September 2025 – not via the South African “refugee” programme – believing public political statements meant protection.
Schoonwinkel claimed asylum… pic.twitter.com/9Pk4EZ55oH
— Bianca van Wyk (@BiancavanWyk16) December 27, 2025
Talking about his suggestion and the fiasco that followed, Taylor said in an interview with The New York Times, “When I saw President Trump brought some Afrikaners to the U.S., I contacted Ben. I said, ‘I think this is a good time for you to come here. Ben had the money and means to get a good start and make it here.”
Now that the plan has backfired, Taylor is doing everything he can for the release of his friend. He has hired immigration lawyer Marty Rosenbluth to handle the case. The attorney revealed that even he was surprised to see a white man under ICE detention when he learnt about Schoonwinkel.
Rosenbluth said, “I assumed he was Black. Why else would he be in ICE custody? It never crossed my mind he could be Afrikaner. I thought, how could this be happening? He had the right to make his case without being thrown into a hellhole.”
Schoonwinkel will have a hearing next month that might decide his fate in the country. On the other hand, the Homeland Security Department has reiterated that anyone seeking asylum in the US has to be detained while the officials investigate their case. As for Afrikaners, they should apply for entry into the US through the refugee program.
