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FILE - The Harry S. Truman Building, office for the State Department, is seen successful Washington, March 9, 2009. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
A radical of 49 achromatic South Africans departed their homeland Sunday for the United States connected a backstage charter level having been offered exile presumption by the Trump administration nether a caller programme announced successful February.
The group, which included families and tiny children, was owed to get astatine Dulles International Airport extracurricular Washington connected Monday greeting section time, according to Collen Mbisi, a spokesperson for South Africa's transport ministry.
They are the archetypal Afrikaners — a achromatic number group successful South Africa — to beryllium relocated aft U.S. President Donald Trump issued an enforcement bid connected Feb. 7 accusing South Africa's Black-led authorities of radical favoritism against them and announcing a programme to connection them relocation to America.
The South African authorities said it is “completely false” that Afrikaners are being persecuted.
The Trump medication has fast-tracked their applications portion pausing different exile programs, halting arrivals from Afghanistan, Iraq, astir of sub-Saharan Africa and different countries successful a move being challenged successful court.
Refugee groups person questioned wherefore the achromatic South Africans are being prioritized up of radical from countries wracked by warfare and earthy disasters. Vetting for exile presumption successful the U.S. often takes years.
The Trump medication says the South African authorities is pursuing racist, anti-white policies done affirmative enactment laws and a caller onshore expropriation instrumentality it says targets Afrikaners' land. The authorities says those claims are based connected misinformation and determination is nary racism against Afrikaners and nary onshore has been expropriated, though the contentious instrumentality has been passed and is the absorption of disapproval successful South Africa.
South Africa besides denies U.S. claims that Afrikaners are being targeted successful racially motivated attacks successful immoderate agrarian communities. Instead, the South African authorities said Afrikaners — who are the descendants of Dutch and French assemblage settlers — are "amongst the astir economically privileged" successful the country.
The archetypal Afrikaner refugees were traveling connected a formation operated by the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based charter institution Omni Air International, Mbisi said. They would alert to Dakar, Senegal and halt determination to refuel earlier heading for Dulles.
They departed from OR Tambo International Airport successful Johannesburg, wherever they were accompanied by constabulary officers and airdrome officials erstwhile they checked in. Mbisi said they would person to beryllium vetted by constabulary to guarantee determination were nary transgression cases oregon outstanding warrants against them earlier being allowed to leave.
The South African authorities said determination was nary justification for them being relocated but said it wouldn't halt them and respected their state of choice.
They are expected to beryllium greeted astatine Dulles by a U.S. authorities delegation, including the lawman caput of authorities and officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, whose exile bureau has organized their resettlement.
The formation volition beryllium the archetypal successful a “much larger-scale relocation effort,” White House lawman main of unit Stephen Miller told reporters connected Friday. Miller said that what was happening to Afrikaners successful South Africa "fits the textbook explanation of wherefore the exile programme was created.”
“This is persecution based connected a protected diagnostic — successful this case, race. This is race-based persecution,” helium said.
The HHS Office for Refugee Resettlement was acceptable to connection them support, including with housing, furnishings and different household items, and expenses similar groceries, clothing, diapers and more, a papers obtained by The Associated Press said. The papers said the relocation of Afrikaners was "a stated precedence of the Administration.”
There are astir 2.7 cardinal Afrikaners among South Africa’s colonisation of 62 million, which is much than 80% Black. They are lone 1 portion of the country's achromatic minority.
Many successful South Africa are puzzled by claims that Afrikaners are persecuted and conscionable the requirements to beryllium relocated arsenic refugees.
They are portion of South Africa’s mundane multi-racial life, with galore palmy concern leaders and immoderate serving successful authorities arsenic Cabinet ministers and lawman ministers. Their connection is wide spoken and recognized arsenic an authoritative language, and churches and different institutions reflecting Afrikaner civilization clasp prominence successful astir each metropolis and town.
The Trump medication has criticized South Africa connected respective fronts. Trump's February enforcement bid chopped each U.S. backing to South Africa implicit what it said was its anti-white stance and besides accused it of pursuing an anti-American overseas policy. It cited South Africa's ties with Iran and its determination to lodge a genocide lawsuit against U.S. state Israel implicit the warfare successful Gaza arsenic examples of it taking "aggressive positions towards the United States."
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