Politico reports:

President Donald Trump on Monday defended his decision to take in dozens of white South Africans who were granted refugee status as his administration limits refugee admissions for the rest of the world.

A group of 49 Afrikaners claiming to face discrimination and economic hardship in their home country arrived to the U.S. on Monday morning after being awarded an expedited pathway into the country by the Trump administration under a new program established earlier this year. But the move has raised concerns among refugee groups as Trump has effectively blocked refugee admissions for people fleeing violence and famine from countries like Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan.

When pressed on why the white Afrikaners were granted refugee status over other communities, Trump said that the move has nothing to do with the group’s race.

“It is a genocide that is taking place that you people don’t want to write about,” Trump said to reporters during a press briefing for the signing of his executive order to lower pharmaceutical prices Monday. “It’s a terrible thing that’s taking place and farmers are being killed. They happen to be white, but whether they are white or Black makes no difference to me.” [Continue reading…]

NPR reports:

The Episcopal Church on Monday announced it would terminate its partnership with the government to resettle refugees, citing moral opposition to resettling white Afrikaners.

Episcopal Migration Ministries said it had been notified by the federal government that it was expected to resettle some of the refugees.

“It has been painful to watch one group of refugees, selected in a highly unusual manner, receive preferential treatment over many others who have been waiting in refugee camps or dangerous conditions for years,” wrote Most Rev. Sean Rowe, the presiding bishop of the church, adding that others including the Afghans and Christians fleeing persecution have been denied refuge. [Continue reading…]

DFA reports:

Political analyst Sandile Swana has raised concerns, questioning the legitimacy of their asylum claims and emphasising that refugee status requires evidence-based grounds proving individuals can’t remain in their country of origin.

“For somebody to be an asylum seeker or a refugee, there must be an evidence-based assessment that shows that the person has legitimate grounds, making it impossible for them to remain in the country of their origin.”

He explained that in Africa, there are several regions, such as Eritrea, the DRC, and Sudan, where refugees come to South Africa to escape clear and well-documented dangers.

However, in South Africa, there are no such threats targeting a particular ethnic group, especially the white Afrikaners, or individuals based on their political or religious beliefs.

Swana also remarked that the Trump administration’s political agenda seems focused on promoting a Western white Christian civilisation.

He explained, “They appear to be working to reduce the population of Hispanics and others who don’t fit within this group, while increasing the number of those who align with this Western white Christian ideal.

”As a result, people outside of this group are being expelled from the US, while white Afrikaners, who claim to share this philosophy, are being brought in under misleading reasons to perpetuate the idea that whites, particularly those who feel oppressed, are being victimised.”

He reiterated that this is a political maneuver aimed at painting the South African government, along with specific political parties like the EFF and ANC, as racist and targeting whites in South Africa. However, the evidence contradicts this narrative.

“No South African, regardless of their complexion, hair texture, eye colour, or religious background, deserves refugee status anywhere on Earth at this time. This move seeks to falsely accuse the government and certain political parties of unconstitutional actions, which is simply untrue. There is no evidence to suggest that anyone, regardless of their background, is being targeted unconstitutionally,” Swana said. [Continue reading…]