Trump said a "genocide" is happening in South Africa, and 59 white South African refugees have been approved to enter the United States.

The 59 white South Africans have arrived in the U.S. and will be granted refugee status.

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the refugee applications of the Afrikaner minority group in South Africa have been expedited because they are "victims of racial discrimination."

The South African government said this group has not suffered any persecution severe enough to qualify for refugee status.

The Trump administration has suspended the admission of all other refugees, including those from conflict zones. Human Rights Watch described this move as cruel racial distortion, pointing out that thousands of people, including many black and Afghan refugees, have been denied entry into the U.S. for asylum.

This group of South African whites arrived at Dulles Airport near Washington D.C. on Monday and was warmly welcomed by U.S. authorities.

Some held young children, waving small American flags in the immigration area decorated with red, white, and blue balloons.

In the U.S., the refugee review process usually takes several months or even years, but the application of this group was expedited.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confirmed to the BBC that the agency was not involved in this review process, which is different from previous cases.

On Monday, when asked directly why the Afrikaner refugees' applications were processed faster than others, Trump said that a "genocide" is happening in South Africa, and "white farmers" are being targeted.

He said, "Farmers are being killed, and they happen to be white, but it makes no difference to me whether they are white or black."

However, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he told Trump during a phone call that the U.S. assessment of the situation "is not correct."

Ramaphosa said, "Refugees are those who have to leave their country due to political, religious, or economic persecution. They do not fit this definition."

At Dulles Airport, when questioned by the BBC, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said, "It is not surprising that the source country of refugees does not recognize them as such; unfortunately, this is common."

The U.S. criticized South Africa's domestic policies, accusing the South African government of confiscating land from white farmers without compensation.

In January, Ramaphosa signed a controversial law allowing the government to expropriate private land without compensation in certain circumstances deemed "fair and in the public interest."

But the South African government said no land has been expropriated under this law so far.

Melissa Kenny, a lawyer for the International Refugee Assistance Project, told the BBC that the White House's decision to expedite Afrikaner entry is "extremely hypocritical" and represents "unequal treatment."

Her organization has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration because the government indefinitely suspended the U.S. Refugee Admission Program (USRAP) in January. She pointed out that this policy left over 120,000 refugees who had been conditionally approved in an uncertain state.

Afrikaner writer Max du Preez said on the BBC radio program that the claim of persecution against white South Africans is "completely absurd" and "groundless."

Since Trump first instructed the government to resettle Afrikaners, mainly of Dutch descent, tensions in U.S.-South African relations have escalated.

In March, South Africa's ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled after accusing Trump of using "white victimhood" as a political suggestion. The U.S. accused Rasool of "racial provocation."

Trump's open attitude toward accepting Afrikaner refugees coincides with stricter crackdowns on immigrants and asylum seekers from other countries in the U.S.

Source: BBC

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831987024705676/

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