Trump Administration Resettles White South Africans as Refugees Under Suspended Program

Strategic Insights -

President Donald Trump has described the resettlement of nearly 50 White South Africans as refugees at Dulles International Airport as an effort to help the minority group, which he claims is facing racial discrimination and persecution in that country. The Afrikaners, descended from Dutch settlers, were allowed to enter the United States under a humanitarian designation that the Trump administration has suspended for all other groups worldwide. In response to criticism from South African officials and refugee advocates, Trump and his advisors have maintained that the land redistribution law in South Africa, which seeks to correct the imbalance in property ownership stemming from apartheid rule, amounts to a genocide against White farmers.

The Afrikaners, who were granted refugee status, will be resettled by local organizations in 10 states, while 11 others were prevented from boarding the plane due to paperwork issues. The resettlement effort has been met with criticism from refugee advocates who argue that it creates the appearance that the US government cannot be trusted to protect persecuted individuals, particularly those who have risked their lives to assist US troops during times of war. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it will end temporary protected status for Afghans, who are currently waiting to be let into the US.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Trump administration has suspended all refugee admissions to the US, except for White South Africans, citing concerns about persecution and racial violence in South Africa.
  • The majority of arriving Afrikaners have witnessed or experienced extreme violence with a racial nexus, including home invasions, murders, or carjackings, according to a State Department memo.
  • The South African land redistribution law, which aims to correct the imbalance in property ownership stemming from apartheid rule, has been framed by South African officials as an effort to correct the wrongs of four decades of segregationist rule.
  • Refugee resettlement groups and their clients filed a lawsuit over the suspension of the refugee admissions program, which a federal judge in Seattle ordered to resume refugee case processing at all levels.
  • Over 1,200 Afghans, including more than 200 family members of US service members, are waiting at a US facility in Qatar to be let into the United States.
  • The Department of Homeland Security will end temporary protected status for Afghans, making it difficult for them to enter the US.

Statistics:

  • Nearly 50 White South Africans, most of whom have witnessed or experienced racial violence, were resettled as refugees in the US.
  • 11 others were prevented from boarding the plane due to paperwork issues.
  • The US has suspended all refugee admissions to the US except for White South Africans.
  • Over 1,200 Afghans are waiting at a US facility in Qatar to be let into the US.
  • The South African land redistribution law allows for property to be taken away without compensation in some situations, subject to review by a judge.

Sources:

  • The Washington Post
  • The International Crisis Group
  • Refugee resettlement groups and their clients (source of lawsuit)
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • State Department