Trump orders U.S. to prioritize refugee resettlement of South Africans of European descent
President Trump directed administration officials on Friday to prioritize the European descent of South Africans through the U.S. refugee program, which he suspended on his first day in office.
exist Executive OrderMr. Trump accused the South African government of discriminating against South African ethnic groups in South Africa, which was composed of descendants of European colonists, mainly from the Netherlands, which first arrived there in the 1600s.
Until the 1990s, white whites of European descent ruled South Africa to counter the brutal segregation system of the black majority in the country.
But Mr. Trump, by his order, said that white South Africans are now targets of oppression by the country’s government, invoking laws such as US conservatives, such as Trump advisers and billionaires Elon Musk It has been said that racially motivated land acquisitions that white South Africans owned. Musk was born in South Africa.
South African government has Strongly deny Any land forfeiture or racially motivated discrimination that the objectives of the law being reviewed are not used or serve the public interest.
Under his order, Mr. Trump directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to “prioritize humanitarian relief, including admissions and placement through the U.S. refugee enrollment program Victims of South African-American figures against South Africa, and this is a victim of unjust racial discrimination.
It is unclear how and when the plan will be formulated, as Mr. Trump suspends the arrival of refugees.
exist Executive Orders signed by him On January 20, the president argued that refugees were under pressure from the community, saying he would only restart the refugee program if he concluded.
However, Mr. Trump’s order does allow officials to exempt the freeze of refugee arrivals on a case-by-case basis.
The U.S. refugee program aims to provide safe havens for people abroad to evade persecution based on race, religion, political views or other factors. Typically, UN officials forward refugees to the United States and spend months or years in a third country that is interviewed and safe and medical examinations before entering the United States
Historically, most people who have allowed access to the United States through refugee programs have come from African and Asian countries, plagued by war, racial conflict or suppression by minorities.
The president’s order could also cut any aid or aid from South Africa as long as it puts its new land reform laws in place. This raises further questions about the United States AIDS Response Plan, pepfarprovides HIV treatment to millions of adults and thousands of children, many of which are in African countries.
Trump administration orders freeze all internationally covered foreign aid Medical and humanitarian efforts. Last weekend, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a waiver to allow Pepfar and some other programs to resume, but there are still delays in distributing aid.
In addition to allegations of racial discrimination, Mr. Trump also said South Africa has “taken a positive stance against the United States and its allies”, citing the country’s case in the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians.
Contributed to this report.
