Worldview: Trump fast-tracks white South African refugees, sidestepping global crisis

Key topics: Trump administration fast-tracks Afrikaner resettlement to US.South Africa disputes claims of white racial persecution.Critics slam selective refugee policy amid global backlog..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Kerry Lanaghan .The Trump administration is preparing to resettle the first group of white South African Afrikaners in the United States as refugees, a move that starkly contrasts with its broader suspension of global refugee admissions. Scheduled to arrive via a chartered flight from Johannesburg to Washington Dulles International Airport, the group of 54 Afrikaners is being brought under a new exception created by President Trump, who argues they face racial persecution in South Africa. This policy shift reflects a significant departure from the traditional US refugee program, which has historically focused on victims of war, famine, and systemic violence worldwide.With under three months' processing times, the expedited resettlement has drawn intense criticism from refugee advocates and legal experts. They argue that thousands of vetted refugees from places like Congo, Afghanistan, and Myanmar remain stranded in dire conditions, despite prior court orders requiring the US to admit them. Critics see the swift admission of white South Africans, while others wait in limbo, as a politically motivated act that undermines the principles of the refugee program.The South African government has firmly rejected the claim that Afrikaners face persecution, warranting refugee status, calling it a misrepresentation of their constitutional democracy. South African officials, including Deputy Foreign Minister Alvin Botes, conveyed these objections to US counterparts, stating that complaints of discrimination based on race do not meet international legal thresholds for refugee protection.The administration's decision is rooted in a long-standing right-wing narrative that white farmers in South Africa are under attack. This narrative gained traction after South Africa enacted a controversial land reform law allowing the government to expropriate land without compensation under certain conditions, a move intended to redress the legacy of apartheid. Trump's administration has seized on this policy to justify prioritising Afrikaners for refugee status.Documents obtained by The New York Times show that refugee officers were deployed to South Africa earlier this year. There, they screened more than 8,000 Afrikaner applicants. About 100 individuals were identified as potential candidates for resettlement, with particular focus on white Afrikaner farmers.The refugee resettlement process, usually administered by the State Department, has instead been routed through the Department of Health and Human Services due to Trump's earlier suspension of traditional refugee programs. This department coordinates support for the incoming Afrikaners, including housing, groceries, clothing, and basic supplies.Advocates argue that the swift mobilisation for the Afrikaners highlights the administration's capacity - but unwillingness - to process other refugees. They contend that this preferential treatment exposes racial bias and a politicisation of the refugee program, calling for equal protection and resettlement opportunities for all qualified refugees, regardless of race or nationality.(This article is a précis of a piece originally published in The New York Times and can be read in full here.)

Worldview: Trump fast-tracks white South African refugees, sidestepping global crisis

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