White South Africans Arrive in U.S. on Government Charter Flight...Granted Refugee Status
Musk's Influence on Trump, Ties to South African "Afrikaners"
South African Government Pushes Back..."Whites Not Persecuted, Still Wealthy Elite"
On the 12th (local time), white children from South African families arrived at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, USA, aboard a chartered plane sent by the US government from Johannesburg, South Africa. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
U.S. President Donald Trump, who previously banned refugees from the Middle East and Asia, has sparked controversy over a "double standard" by granting refugee status and approving entry to 59 white South Africans. Analysts suggest that the influence of Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), who is himself a white South African, played a role in Trump's decision. CEO Musk, in association with Afrikaners (descendants of 17th-century Dutch settlers in South Africa), has argued that white people in South Africa are being subjected to reverse discrimination and that the United States should accept them. As the Trump administration has announced that it will continue to accept refugee applications from white South Africans, the controversy over the double standard in refugee admissions is expected to intensify.
White South Africans Arrive in U.S. on Government Charter Flight...Granted Refugee Status
On the 12th (local time), Christopher Landau, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (right), explained the U.S. settlement procedures to a South African white refugee family who arrived at Virginia Dulles International Airport. Photo by AFP Yonhap News
On the 12th (local time), 59 white South Africans arrived at Dulles International Airport in Virginia aboard a chartered plane sent by the U.S. government. The Trump administration recognized the refugee status of white South Africans in February of this year and began accepting applications from those wishing to immigrate to the United States. In just three months, the entry and resettlement process was completed, and a chartered plane was provided. At the airport, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Troy Edgar welcomed the arrivals and explained the U.S. resettlement process.
President Trump claimed that white South Africans are being subjected to reverse discrimination by the black-led government and therefore should be granted refugee status. At a press conference, President Trump stated, "They are suffering from discrimination and violence in South Africa," and emphasized, "Whether they are white or black, race does not matter to me. However, what is happening there now is a genocide."
In South Africa, racial tensions have recently intensified as white farmers have protested against the government's land redistribution policy. Since January of this year, the South African government has amended the Expropriation Act to reclaim land that was forcibly taken from black people by whites in the past, as part of an ongoing land reform initiative. The white South Africans who entered the U.S. are reportedly farmers who opposed the land redistribution policy.
Both inside and outside the United States, President Trump is facing criticism for pursuing a racially discriminatory policy by accepting only white South Africans as refugees. The Trump administration continues to ban refugee entry from conflict regions such as Iraq and Afghanistan in the Middle East, as well as Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa.
Musk's Influence on Trump, Ties to South African 'Afrikaners'
There is widespread analysis that the influence of CEO Musk, one of President Trump's closest associates, was significant in the approval of refugee status for white South Africans. It is said that CEO Musk, in connection with Afrikaners who represent the interests of white farmers in South Africa, voiced concerns about reverse discrimination against whites.
The Guardian reported, "It is highly likely that the views of Musk, one of President Trump's closest advisers, were taken into account," and added, "Musk has frequently claimed that whites in South Africa are being victimized and is considered a supporter of their cause."
In fact, CEO Musk, who is himself a white South African, has supported Afrikaners and advocated for their claims. In February, opposing the South African government's amendment to the Expropriation Act, CEO Musk stated on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter), "The South African government has openly enacted racially discriminatory property laws," and argued, "Whites in South Africa are falling victim to discrimination and violence, becoming victims of genocide."
According to the BBC, there are political organizations in South Africa representing the interests of white farmers, such as 'AfriForum' and the 'Transvaal Agricultural Union,' most of whose members are Afrikaners. There are about 3 million Afrikaners in South Africa.
Afrikaners claim that white farmers in South Africa are suffering from racial conflict and that crimes committed by blacks against whites are rapidly increasing. AfriForum and the Transvaal Agricultural Union reported that last year, 60 white farmers in South Africa were killed in robberies and assaults related to racial conflict.
South African Government Pushes Back..."Whites Not Persecuted, Still Wealthy Elite"
The South African government has pushed back, stating that there is no discrimination or attacks against whites in South Africa. Instead, it has expressed concern that distorted information is spreading to the U.S. government as whites protest land reform policies aimed at redressing past injustices suffered by blacks under apartheid.
In a statement released on the 12th, the South African government said, "Whites in the country cannot be considered refugees, and their treatment does not meet the international legal standard for persecution," adding, "Resettling South African nationals in the United States as refugees is being done for political reasons." The statement continued, "Within South Africa, whites still own 75% of the land and remain the wealthy elite, facing no persecution whatsoever."
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, speaking at a business forum in Cote d'Ivoire, said, "I recently spoke with President Trump, Musk, and other U.S. officials, and it appears that anti-reform groups in South Africa have portrayed whites as victims," explaining, "This is an attempt to distort efforts to correct the wrongs of colonialism and the apartheid system."
However, the South African government has stated that it will not prevent whites who wish to leave for the United States from doing so. The South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "While we object to the U.S. decision to grant refugee status, we respect the freedom of movement and choice of individuals and will not prevent those who voluntarily wish to leave the country from doing so."
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