1000 Afrikaners prioritised for US refugee status
The US administration, under President Donald Trump, is expected to welcome 1000 Afrikaner 'refugees' this year as part of its resettlement programme.
This comes after two groups of white South Africans were granted asylum in America over their 'fear of persecution' and claims of 'racial discrimination' in the country.
Meanwhile, in a controversial move, Trump has indefinitely halted refugees from other countries earlier this year.
According to the Washington Post, US authorities have pledged to resettle around 1000 Afrikaner 'refugees' in the coming months.
The group will be prioritised above any other countries that have applied for the US Refugee Admissions Programme (USRAP)
The resettlement process is expected to run until the end of September.
According to the publication, the Trump administration will also move to block 160 refugees who were scheduled to travel to the US ahead of the February ban.
Another 1200 had been vetted and had their flights booked to arrive in the US after the ban was imposed.
International Refugee Assistance Project attorney Melissa Keaney said of the administration: 'It simply doesn't want to process any other refugee populations other than white Afrikaners'. More white South Africans are expected to take up Trump's refugee status. Image: Saul Loeb / AFP.
While US authorities claim that refugee status is open to all 'racial minorities' in South Africa, the first two groups that have resettled abroad have been from the white population.
Despite initially being targeted at Afrikaner farmers and white people, US authorities have since included coloured, Indian, and 'mixed-race' South Africans.
Applicants must prove that they are 'persecuted' South Africans who are victims of 'racial discrimination'.
Jaco Kleynhans, of the Solidarity Movement, stated that many Afrikaners had applied for refugee status.
He told the media earlier this month: 'Several more groups will fly to the USA over the next few weeks. The US Embassy in Pretoria, in collaboration with the State Department in Washington, DC, is currently processing 8,000 applications. And we expect many more Afrikaner refugees to travel to the USA over the next few months.
'They are settling in states across the USA, but particularly southern states such as Texas, North and, South Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.'
He continued: 'Our primary focus is not refugee status for Afrikaners. But rather to find ways to ensure a free, safe, and prosperous future for Afrikaners in South Africa. We remain 100% convinced that South Africa can and must create a home for all its people.'
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