SA slams Trump’s ‘refugee’ resettlement plan
Forty-nine Afrikaners granted refugee status by the US departed from SA on a chartered flight last night. The US Embassy earlier informed Pretoria in a diplomatic note that the first batch of members of the Afrikaner community would be admitted into the US, making good on its offer of ‘refugee status’ for those seeking to leave the country.
It is reported that Department of Transport spokesperson Collen Msibi confirmed that an application for a Sunday flight leaving OR Tambo and destined for the US had been processed.
‘Based on the application that was lodged with the Department of Transport we took it to the International Air Services Council, the purpose was to transport Afrikaners who are relocating to the US as refugees,’ Msibi said.
News24 reports that he said the application was approved, and a foreign operator permit was issued, with the condition that the passengers be vetted by the police or state security.
The US Government is reportedly planning a welcoming event at Washington Dulles Airport in Virginia today, The New York Times reports.
On 30 April, Robert F Kennedy Jr, US Secretary of Health & Human Services, approved a memorandum from the US Office of Refugee Resettlement to redirect funds from his department to pay for the resettlement of Afrikaners.
City Press reports that the memorandum asks Kennedy for ‘mobilisation of immediate support for vulnerable incoming Afrikaner refugees’. This support includes ‘housing, health services and resettlement support upon their arrival’.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on 7 February, instructing his administration to prioritise the resettlement of ‘Afrikaner refugees’ in the US after accusing Pretoria of discriminating against landowners on the basis of race.
This law follows dozens of government policies designed to dismantle equal opportunities in employment, education and business, as well as hateful rhetoric and government actions that promote excessive violence against racially disadvantaged landowners.
The Sunday Times notes that the prioritisation of white Afrikaner refugees comes at the same time as Trump is trying to freeze all other refugee admissions to the US, including those for refugees fleeing violence and persecution in the DRC, Afghanistan and war-torn Sudan.
However, a federal judge last Monday ordered that 12 000 refugees who had already made plans to travel to the US should be allowed into the country.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
