59 white South Africans who landed in Washington, D.C., have been granted refugee status after alleged discrimination against white farmers. President Trump expedited the Afrikaner refugee applications since they claimed to be victims of “racial discrimination.” The South African government, however, refuted the refugee status and stated that the allegations of racial discrimination and persecution “would not meet the threshold required under ‘refugee law.’”
Cyril Ramaphosa, South African President, noted that there is false information pertaining to the persecution of the white Afrikaners who fled to the US. He mentioned that those claiming refugee status are not being persecuted but instead are leaving due to the refusal to embrace constitutional changes.
While the administration has expedited the Afrikaners’ refugee applications, they have simultaneously suspended other refugee resettlements for people fleeing war and famine.
Immigration advocates have spoken out against this decision. President of Refugees International, Jeremy Konyndyk, called the refugee policy “a racialized immigration program masquerading as refugee resettlement, while real refugees remain stranded.” However, despite the backlash, White House official Stephen Miller has made it clear that this is the first wave of a “larger-scale relocation effort.”
As other asylum seekers await their applications to be approved, it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest news. If you believe that your application may be impacted by immigration changes, it is important to speak to an immigration attorney as soon as possible.
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