JOHANNESBURG: A second group of white South Africans has arrived in the USA underneath a refugee program introduced by the Trump administration, officers and advocacy teams stated Monday. 9 individuals, together with households and kids, arrived late final week, stated Jaco Kleynhans, head of worldwide liaison on the Solidarity Motion, a bunch representing members of South Africa’s white Afrikaner minority. The group travelled on a industrial flight, he stated. A spokesperson for the US Embassy stated in an e-mail to The Related Press that “refugees proceed to reach in the USA from South Africa on industrial flights as a part of the Afrikaner resettlement program’s ongoing operations.” An preliminary group of 59 white South Africans arrived at Dulles Worldwide Airport in Virginia on a chartered flight final month underneath the brand new program introduced by US President Donald Trump in February. The Trump administration fast-tracked the resettlement of white South Africans after indefinitely suspending different US refugee applications. The Trump administration stated it’s providing refugee standing to white South Africans it alleges are being persecuted by their Black-led authorities and are victims of racially motivated violence. The South African authorities has denied the allegations and stated they’re a mischaracterization of the nation. Trump has falsely claimed that white South African farmers are focused in widespread assaults that quantity to genocide and are having their land taken away. Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with these baseless claims throughout a gathering on the White Home final month. Ramaphosa has stated the comparatively small variety of assaults on white farmers are a part of South Africa’s bigger issues with violent crime, which impacts all races. The Trump administration initially stated the refugee program was aimed toward members of South Africa’s Afrikaner minority, who’re descendants of primarily Dutch and French colonial settlers. In new steerage printed by the US Embassy final month, candidates should be “a member of a racial minority” in South Africa and “should be capable to articulate a previous expertise of persecution or concern of future persecution.” There are roughly 2.7 million Afrikaners amongst South Africa’s inhabitants of 62 million, which is greater than 80 per cent Black. They don’t seem to be the one white minority. There are round 4.5 million whites in whole, together with these with British or different heritage. The US Embassy spokesperson stated the US “continues to assessment inquiries from people who’ve expressed curiosity to the embassy in resettling to the USA and is reaching out to eligible people for refugee interviews and processing.” Whereas US officers haven’t stated what number of South Africans have utilized to be relocated, Kleynhans stated there have been round 8,000 functions. One other group serving to white South Africans apply for refugee standing has stated tens of 1000’s have utilized.
