The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced plans to admit an additional 10,000 white South Africans into the United States as refugees this year.
According to a document dated 21 May, the administration described Afrikaners as facing an “emergency refugee situation” due to what it called the “incitement of racially-motivated violence” in South Africa.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that members of the Afrikaner minority are being persecuted and losing land because of their race. However, the South African government, along with several Afrikaner organisations and civil groups, has strongly denied the allegations.
Afrikaners make up roughly 60% of South Africa’s white minority population, while white South Africans account for around 7.2% of the country’s total population.
The decision has sparked criticism, especially as many refugees fleeing wars, political violence and humanitarian crises across the world continue to face rejection from the US refugee system.
Democrats have condemned the policy, calling it “indefensible” and accusing the administration of abandoning other vulnerable groups, including Afghan allies who supported American operations overseas.
Reports indicate that more than 6,000 South African refugees have already been admitted into the US during the current fiscal year, while only three Afghans were reportedly approved during the same period.
