US to begin admitting white South African refugees

It is most regrettable that it appears that the resettlement of South Africans to the United States under the guise of being ‘refugees’ is entirely politically motivated and designed to question South Africa’s constitutional democracy; a country which has in fact suffered true persecution under Apartheid rule and has worked tirelessly to prevent such levels of discrimination from ever occurring again.”

Chrispin Phiri, a spokesperson for the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, said in a statement Friday

Stephen Miller (political advisor)white House deputy chief of staff

What’s happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created,

Miller said

If Stephen Miller suddenly supports refugee resettlement when it suits a political narrative, fine—but let’s not pretend Afghan allies don’t meet the same legal definition,

VanDiver told NBC News

The U.S. Embassy in Pretoria has been conducting interviews and processing pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order on Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa. The Department of State is prioritizing consideration for U.S. refugee resettlement of Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination."

The State Department said

Yes, we are told that there are people who are leaving. We are saying, ‘what is their status? Are they leaving as asylum seekers, are they leaving as refugees, or are they leaving as South African citizens, and they are going on some free joy ride?’ It’s a question we’ve put to them.”

South African foreign ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told The Associated Press

Cyril Ramaphosasouth african President

Therefore, our position is that there are no South African citizens that can be classified as refugees to any part of the world, including the U.S.,

the statement from Ramaphosa’s office said

The U.S. government is prioritizing the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees, and [the Office of Refugee Resettlement] is coordinating services to ensure they receive the support they need from the very initial days of their arrival,

Miro Marinovich, who oversees the Refugee Program Bureau at the Department of Health and Human Services, wrote in an email to other federal officials on Wednesday

It is ironic that the executive order makes provision for refugee status in the US for a group in South Africa that remains amongst the most economically privileged, while vulnerable people in the US from other parts of the world are being deported and denied asylum despite real hardship,

South Africa’s government said in February