Hundreds more 'refugees' could depart for the US as immigration row deepens

Reports have emerged indicating that an additional 300 individuals are set to migrate to the United States, following the recent arrival of a group of 59 refugees on Monday.

However, the chief executive of lobby group AfriForum, Kallie Kriel, who still maintains that the scores of Afrikaners who have already left had genuine reasons, says he is not planning to leave South Africa.

This is in stark contrast to serious allegations of human rights abuse levelled against the South African government.

During an interview on Newzroom Afrika, Kriel said that although the concerns raised by the Afrikaners were legitimate, AfriForum does not define the situation as “white genocide” as certain politicians in the United States define it.

“The fact is, we don’t use those terms, but there is a real problem. We have a situation in the country where the only category of crime that is called for, publicly, for instance, murders of farmers and Afrikaners with the ‘kill the boer’ chant.''

On Monday, soon after landing at  Washington's Dulles International Airport, dozens of South African 'refugees' - some with children happily holding small American flags - were welcomed by US First Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau.

He was accompanied by Deputy Secretary of  Home Affairs, Troy  Edgar. Landau repeated the US allegations that the ​''refugees'​ were subjected to egregious and targeted threats''.

Asked to elaborate on the claim,  Landau replied and mentioned ​''several vociferous politicians repeating things like 'Kill the Boer, Kill the Afrikaner​''.

This was about Julius Malema's chanting of the controversial Struggle song. Observers argue that the SA ''refugees'' were given special treatment by the US when there are well-documented cases of ''egregious persecution'' and violence against citizens elsewhere in countries such as Afghanistan and other war-torn countries in Africa, including Sudan.

Asked by a BBC journalist regarding the refugee criteria the US applied when approving the South African refugees, given the fact fact that the Trump Administration earlier this year issued an executive order suspending the Afghan resettlement programme,  Landau replied that Trump paused the refugee programme because it 'had been going at record levels under the prior administration and had brought in people that we were not sure had been carefully vetted for national security issues.

''The pause, of course, was subject from the very beginning to exceptions where it was determined that this would be in the interest of the United States. Whether or not the broader refugee programme for other people around the world will be lifted is still an ongoing consideration.'' 

According to the Middle East Institute, on April 11, the US Department of Homeland Security announced its decision to end  Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 9 000 Afghans because Afghanistan “no longer continues to meet the statutory requirement for TPS.” Those targeted were given the option to self-deport before May 20.

Trump administration officials claim that Afghans and refugees from several other countries have misused the TPS program​me, designed to temporarily protect people from conflicts and natural disasters, to remain in the United States indefinitely.

​“There is no civil war in South Africa, and there is no state-sanctioned violence targeting white communities,” said Dr. Lindiwe Maseko, a political analyst at the University of the Witwatersrand. “Crime is a national crisis, but it affects all races. The idea that white South Africans, specifically Afrikaners, qualify as refugees under international law is false.”​

According to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, a refugee is defined as someone fleeing persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, generally under circumstances of war or extreme oppression.

Experts say the economic difficulties, rising crime, and land reform debates in South Africa do not meet this threshold.

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa is planning a meeting with United States President Donald Trump regarding the refugee status granted to a group of Afrikaners.​Ramaphosa said he spoke to Trump on Monday afternoon and told him that he had been misinformed.

"I told him I would like to come and meet him so that we can discuss this matter further," Ramaphosa​ added.