Afrikaners' arrival in US as refugees sparks international debate

A charter level carrying 59 achromatic South Africans made world headlines erstwhile it landed adjacent Washington connected Monday. 

The caller arrivals astatine Dulles International Airport weren’t holidaymakers. Instead, they were nan first Afrikaners, a number descended from European colonists, to beryllium admitted to nan US arsenic refugees. 

Greeted by elder officials from nan Trump administration, nan South African adults and children were promptly handed mini US flags arsenic a invited to their adoptive country. 

Their introduction is peculiarly contentious because it comes astatine a clip erstwhile each different exile resettlement done nan US Refugee Admissions Program is indefinitely suspended. 

On his first time backmost successful agency connected 20 January, US President Donald Trump signed an executive bid that paused nan programme. Just weeks later, an objection was made for Afrikaners, who nan White House said were suffering group favoritism astatine home. 

The move followed nan declare by Trump advisor Elon Musk — who was calved and raised successful South Africa — that achromatic farmers look genocide and onshore expropriation successful South Africa. 

The South African authorities has powerfully denied nan Trump administration’s accusations, arsenic person immoderate salient Afrikaners themselves. 

Euronews reached retired to respective awesome Afrikaner groups successful South Africa, but did not person a response. 

'If nan US won't return refugees, why should we?'

Loren Landau, professor of migration and improvement astatine nan University of Oxford, said nan optics of the Afrikaners’ resettlement were plain to see. 

“It sends a very clear connection to nan world and to American citizens that, moreover arsenic nan US attempts to deport millions of (people of colour), nan Trump management will invited a group of group from elsewhere who person historically been associated pinch achromatic supremacy and elitism,” he said, pinch reference to South Africa’s Afrikaner-led apartheid regime, which lasted from 1948 until nan early 1990s.

Landau said susceptible people, specified arsenic those fleeing Sudan’s sadistic civilian war, are successful overmuch greater request of resettlement. 

 “All of these group suffice much arsenic refugees — aliases should — than Afrikaners, who whitethorn look immoderate level of anti-white favoritism connected nan streets, possibly moreover successful politics, but by nary intends request to fearfulness for their lives aliases livelihoods because of who they are,” Landau said. 

The Oxford professor added that nan knock-on effects of US exile policy, which he described arsenic “a immense slap successful nan look for humanitarians and humanitarianism”, could beryllium significant. 

“It opens abstraction for each state successful nan world to say, 'If nan US, nan world's richest country, won't return genuine refugees, why should we?'” 

Trump’s ‘transactional thinking’?

Until Trump’s executive bid successful January, nan US was nan starring resettlement state successful nan world, typically granting asylum to tens of thousands of refugees each year. 

In total, location are astir 38 cardinal refugees successful nan world, who person fled their countries and person a well-founded fearfulness of persecution if they return, according to Bill Frelick, nan head of Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) Refugee and Migrant Rights Division. 

Only a mini number of this susceptible group utilized to person third-country resettlement, Frelick said.

“The numbers accepted are now moreover smaller because nan US was nan awesome resettlement country,” he added. “And truthful what had possibly been possibly 1% of nan world's refugees being resettled is now going to beryllium a fraction of that 1%.” 

Like Landau, Frelick said nan US president’s acceptance of Afrikaners and rejection of different groups was driven by governmental factors.

“I deliberation Trump's reasoning is transactional and is driven by different overseas argumentation considerations. There are different criticisms he's made of South Africa,” Frelick noted. 

Trump’s criticisms see attacking South Africa for bringing a lawsuit successful nan apical UN tribunal against Israel complete its warfare connected Hamas successful Gaza. 

Refugees successful limbo

Regardless of Trump’s motives, nan Afrikaners’ exile applications were expedited. 

"I can't speak to nan Afrikaners' individual cases, but nan US refugees admissions programme, which is decades old, has circumstantial requirements that individuals person to meet,” said Mevlüde Akay Alp, a elder litigation lawyer astatine nan International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP).

“Historically, nan process involves important vetting and screening. It typically takes years for refugees to beryllium admitted to nan United States. What stands successful stark opposition astir nan admittance of dozens of Afrikaners this week is that they were fast-tracked successful a matter of months.” 

Meanwhile, nan thousands of refugees who were approved and had recreation booked to nan US arsenic of 20 January stay unsure astir their futures. Even though a tribunal bid is successful spot requiring nan Trump management to assistance them entry. 

"Those group are now stranded successful limbo successful 3rd countries. They, by definition, person faced utmost unit and persecution,” Akay Alp said. 

“They had taken important steps and relied connected nan truth that they would beryllium travelling very soon to nan United States. Many of them sold their belongings, ended nan leases connected their homes, near their jobs successful anticipation that they would beryllium travelling ... And they now person nary thought whether they will ever beryllium capable to travel to nan US." 

Akay Alp mentioned that this group included those who had risked their lives helping nan US subject successful Afghanistan and Iraq. 

The litigation lawyer besides said of 1 of IRAP’s plaintiffs successful a lawsuit challenging nan Trump administration’s suspension of nan US Refugee Admissions Program. 

After fleeing warfare successful nan Congo astatine nan property of 13, Pacito was scheduled to alert to nan US 2 days aft nan exile prohibition was declared. But contempt aggregate tribunal orders successful caller months, he is still waiting successful Kenya. 

"We're dealing pinch existent people's lives here,” said Akay Alp.