White South Africans, also called Afrikaners, have been granted refugee status by President Donald Trump. The first plane of Afrikaners arrived at Washington-Dulles National airport on the morning of Monday, May 12th, and was greeted by U.S. officials.
Afrikaners, who ruled South Africa during apartheid, were granted refugee status after President Trump claimed that they faced racial discrimination in their own country. Trump has claimed that Afrikaners have faced genocide, low job opportunities, and general discrimination due to their race. He has also claimed that Afrikaner farmers’ land has been confiscated, a statement that has since been refuted.
Although Trump has granted refugee status to White South Africans, the same privilege has not been given to Black South Africans or any other oppressed groups in other countries. In fact, Trump has suspended refugee resettlement services since January 27th in countries such as the Congo and Afghanistan. This action was part of a slew of executive orders, including some aiming to end DEI programs (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) in schools and workplaces. Although these efforts to end refugee resettlement and DEI have been explained away by Trump, explicitly trying to eliminate programs that promote equality and uplift minorities seems racially motivated.
Officials from South Africa have spoken out against Donald Trump’s claims that white South Africans are being discriminated against. According to NPR, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson said on the matter: “These people won’t be stopped from going, albeit under a false narrative. There’s no legal or any factual basis for the executive order sanctioning this action.”
In my opinion, these actions by President Trump are quite telling of his feelings towards racial minorities. Trump is eager to grant asylum to white Afrikaners, offering them charter planes and countless other accommodations under the guise of saving them from alleged “discrimination”. However, when it comes to any other non-white racial minority, he is all too ready to cut refugee resettlement and end DEI programs. To me, these actions not only seem unjust, but blatantly racist.
