The first group of white South Africans granted refugee status under a controversial US asylum programme departed Johannesburg on Sunday, marking a rare and politically charged milestone in American immigration policy.
According to Ministry of Transport spokesperson Collen Msibi, a total of 49 individuals left OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday night aboard a chartered plane en route to Dulles International Airport in Washington DC, from where they would continue to Texas on Monday.
The group, predominantly Afrikaners – descendants of Dutch settlers – were granted asylum following President Donald Trump’s push to prioritise their resettlement, citing claims of racial discrimination in South Africa.
In an executive order in February, Trump accused South Africa’s government of racial discrimination against the Afrikaners by pursuing anti-white policies through affirmative action laws and a new land expropriation law.
The Pretoria authorities, however, say those claims are based on misinformation and there is no racism against Afrikaners and no land has been expropriated.
The order formally announced a programme to offer the Afrikaners relocation to the US, with the Trump administration fast-tracking applications by the Afrikaners while pausing other refugee programmes.
Refugee groups have questioned why the white South Africans are being prioritised ahead of people from countries wracked by war and natural disasters.
Vetting for refugee status in the US often takes years.
JN/APA