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President of the United States

Trump Administration Sends Chartered Jet to Collect First Group of South African White Minority Refugees

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A chartered passenger jet, reportedly a Boeing 767, has been sent to South Africa to collect the first 49 members of the country's white minority who have been granted asylum under the only US refugee program currently functioning. The Trump administration has established a special US plan to resettle these Afrikaners, who have been suffering "race-based persecution," according to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. However, statistically, their incomes are far higher than those of the Black majority, their unemployment rate is much lower, and they control the majority of farmland in the country. The Afrikaners are benefiting from fast-tracked approvals after a speedy assessment by US officials in South Africa, contrary to the normal screening process by the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Trump administration has sent a chartered passenger jet to South Africa to collect the first 49 members of the country's white minority who have been granted asylum under the only US refugee program currently functioning.
  • The Afrikaners, who have been suffering "race-based persecution," have been granted refugee status, according to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
  • This special US plan was established by President Donald Trump in February, when he created a program to resettle Afrikaners, who have been treated as refugees, despite having incomes far higher than the Black majority.
  • The Afrikaners are benefiting from fast-tracked approvals after a speedy assessment by US officials in South Africa, unlike other refugees, who usually wait at least 18 months, or sometimes years, to get permission to settle in the United States.
  • The UN has not been involved in selecting these people for resettlement, as is usually the case.
  • There is no evidence that the Afrikaners have a "wellfounded fear of being persecuted," the standard criterion for being granted asylum in another state.
  • Only about 8,000 Afrikaners out of the estimated three million in South Africa have applied for the Trump refugee plan.
  • Afrikaner lobby groups say the vast majority want to stay in South Africa.
  • The Afrikaners are receiving a free flight on a US-organized chartered jet, and will be resettled in Washington and then flown onward to Texas.

Statistics:

  • 49 members of the country's white minority have been granted asylum under the only US refugee program currently functioning.
  • 8,000 Afrikaners out of the estimated three million in South Africa have applied for the Trump refugee plan.
  • The Afrikaners have incomes far higher than the Black majority, with a lower unemployment rate.
  • The Afrikaners control the majority of farmland in the country.
  • The Trump administration has sent one chartered passenger jet to South Africa to collect the first group of Afrikaners.

Sources:

  • Geoffrey York, "Trump administration sends chartered jet to collect South African white minority refugees", The Globe and Mail
  • Tim Cohen, a South African commentator, as quoted in The Globe and Mail
  • Jeff Crisp, an expert on asylum and migration at the University of Oxford and a former head of policy and development at UNHCR, as quoted in The Globe and Mail
  • White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller
  • South African deputy foreign minister Alvin Botes
  • South African government statement after the call with US counterparts

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