Though the Trump administration has turned the entire of presidency right into a machine to kick refugees and immigrants out of the USA, one very particular group of individuals is an exception to that basic rule: South Africans.
Effectively, solely white South Africans, to be exact.
The issue for President Donald Trump is that these white South Africans don’t appear to be speeding towards our shores to assert their refugee standing. The administration set a objective of bringing 30,000 of them right here as refugees, however to this point, solely about 100 have arrived. What higher technique to get these numbers up than to associate with a whites-only South African group to assist establish who’s eligible for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program?
That group, Amerikaners, has devoted its whole web site to luring folks into making use of for refugee standing right here. It does not in any respect disguise the truth that that is for white South Africans solely. Demographic eligibility requires that people have to be of South African nationality and both of Afrikaner ethnicity or a racial minority in South Africa. In addition they need to articulate a reputable concern of prosecution. That doesn’t really say “whites only,” nevertheless it doesn’t need to, because the {qualifications} by definition exclude Black South Africans by advantage of being the vast majority of the inhabitants in that nation.
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In case this wasn’t crystal clear, the administration’s highest-ranking official within the State Division’s refugee program, Spencer Chretien, made certain to dispel any doubt. Chretien was requested if different minorities in South Africa who declare discrimination primarily based on race would qualify for refugee standing, similar to mixed-race South Africans who converse Afrikaans. Nope, mentioned Chretien. This system is barely supposed for white folks.
So, the Afrikaners group is now a “designated Department of State referral partner,” which is a factor that the administration seems to have invented only for them. And so they don’t need to do a lot. Their job is to assemble data from potential candidates and refer these circumstances to the Division of State.
This doesn’t in any respect resemble how the USA usually works with refugee teams overseas. The federal authorities has lengthy partnered with nongovernmental organizations that function Refugee Assist Facilities, which do much more than simply collect data and ship referrals. RSCs cope with background checks, assist refugees put together their circumstances, schedule interviews with U.S. customs officers, prepare medical exams, and e-book journey. And to make certain, RSC Africa nonetheless can do these issues, however just for white South Africans, since all different refugee admissions are frozen. However one way or the other, this intensive community of help is now on the identical footing as a random whites-only group with an internet site.
All of this stems from the bogus “white genocide” narrative pushed by white South African expats like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, literal billionaires who’re satisfied that they’re the true victims right here.
The largest downside the Trump administration faces in its efforts to lure South Africans into the nation is that white Afrikaners don’t wish to be refugees right here. As a substitute, they need whites-only enclaves in South Africa, identical to the great outdated days. However hey, possibly they might simply have that within the U.S.? White supremacists are constructing whites-only cities proper right here in America, with nary a peep from the administration.
It’s notable that, in suspending the refugee admissions program, Trump didn’t depart a carveout for white immigrants usually. No, the one white individuals who can get refugee standing are racist white folks. Trump requires a continuing stream of bigots who share his views, so he’s acquired to determine a technique to preserve these very particular refugees coming.
