The Afrikaners and the U.S. Refugee Process in the Context of the Post-Trump Executive Order: Report on the Events in Johannesburg

Refugee advocates have noted how unusual it was that the Afrikaners were processed in about three months, after Trump’s executive orders. It can take many years to process applications for refugee status in the US.

The Afrikaners, descendants of mainly Dutch colonists, were seen at the airport in Johannesburg with trolleys full of suitcases, but declined to speak to the media. They are expected to give a press conference upon arrival in the United States., where they will be greeted by U.S. officials.

There would be food and items for the children after arrival according to one document shown by NPR. The catholic diocese of Virginia’s refugee services office would be present to offer assistance. After the press conference the families will depart for their end destinations in several states including Minnesota, Nevada, and Idaho.

“Your case manager will pick you up from the airport and take you to housing that they have arranged for you. “This housing may be short-term, similar to a hotel, but a local organization can help you identify more long-term housing.”

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The South Africans are also informed: “You are expected to support yourself quickly in finding work. Entry level employment in fields like warehousing, manufacturing, and customer service are expected of adults. You can work toward higher level employment over time.”

However, the document stated that “Any credentials from your home country may not automatically transfer to the United States.” That last point will be of interest to many Afrikaner applicants — some of whom are farmers and have previously told NPR they hope to continue farming in the U.S.

During his first executive actions, Trump temporarily paused the refugee program. Various agencies including the State Department have also paused disbursing funding for critical services such as the home, job and school assistance the Afrikaners are poised to receive.

Trump also says the South African government is taking land from Afrikaners, but there is no evidence of this. A land reform law was passed in South Africa earlier this year, but so far no land has been seized. In fact, while whites in South Africa account for some 7 percent of the population, they still own about 70% of commercial farmland.

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“These people won’t be stopped from going, albeit under a false narrative,” the spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, told NPR. “There’s no legal or any factual basis for the executive order sanctioning this action. The definition of refugees in international law isn’t applicable to this case.

The South African government has expressed disagreement. Many South Africans — Black and white — bar a small rightwing minority, are incredulous. NPR spoke to ordinary citizens who were concerned race relations were being set back, three decades after the end of the racist system of apartheid — an Afrikaner policy — when Nelson Mandela ushered in a multi-racial democracy.

Many South Africans took to social media to mock claims that whites who leave for the U.S. are discriminated against because of their race.

“Across the country, refugee resettlement agencies have closed or cut staff, and for refugees about to fly to the U.S., their travel authorizations were cancelled, thousands are now stuck waiting and face growing danger,” Kenn Speicher, who founded NOVA Refugees, a support network in the DC-region, told NPR.

“We’ll do our part regardless of country of origin,” said Eskinder Negash, USCRI President and CEO. “We are hopeful that the arrival of this group of refugees indicates the government’s intention to restart the U.S. refugee program and help other refugees in need of resettlement services.”

To be eligible for resettlement consideration individuals must be of South African nationality, be of Afrikaner ethnicity or a member of a racial minority in the country, and must be able to articulate a past experience of persecution or fear of future persecution.

The United States sends a clear message that it will protect victims of discrimination, as part of the Obama administration’s America First foreign policy agenda.

On Monday, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in South Africa published a notice about the refugee admissions program for “for Afrikaners and disfavored minorities in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination,” indicating this cohort is the first of more to come.

The US refugee program has been a failure according to him. The president’s return to what it was intended to do is an example of Trump’s changes.

“What’s happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created,” Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told reporters last week. Race is a protected characteristic in this case of persecution. This is race-based persecution.”

Trump, his South African-born adviser Elon Musk, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have all been vocal about what they say is persecution Afrikaners — many of whom are farmers — face in South Africa.

The presiding bishop of the church shared that it had been hard to watch a group of refugees receive preferential treatment over others waiting in refugee camps.

The Episcopal Church decided to end its partnership with the government due to moral opposition to resettling white Afrikaners.

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“Some of the criteria are making sure that refugees did not pose any challenge to our national security and that they could be assimilated easily into our country,” he said about the decision to let in Afrikaners.

When asked if the program would be reopened, Landau told reporters it was still an ongoing consideration.

Afghans were among those who worked with the US military, a move which some Republicans have criticized. The administration is fighting the court order which ordered the government to resume the refugee program for those who had been approved to travel.

Children dressed in pajamas and carrying stuffed animals were escorted through a private airplane hanger by their parents after arriving at the airport with their luggage.

The families were met by Troy and Christopher, the deputy Secretary of State and Homeland Security Secretary, respectively.

But their admission to the U.S. has drawn scrutiny from resettlement agencies in the U.S., who’ve have faced sharp budget, resource, and personnel cuts since Trump took office.