Two U.S. officials familiar with the discussions, along with an internal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) email, indicate that up to 30,000 of the spots could go to Afrikaners, according to Reuters. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has drawn attention to the violence and discrimination faced by the minority group of predominantly Dutch descent in South Africa.
[snip]
In May, Trump signed an executive order promoting the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping race-based discrimination and violence in their country, whose harrowing testimonies have been documented by the Daily Caller.
Trump’s order accuses the South African government of showing “disregard” for the rights of its citizens through “countless government policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business, and hateful rhetoric and government actions fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners.”
[snip]
During a May White House meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump warned of a potential “genocide” against them and played a video montage highlighting discrimination and violent attacks against Afrikaners.
The first group of 59 Afrikaner refugees arrived in May, with 34 more arriving by early August, according to Reuters. Some refugee advocacy groups, including the Episcopal Migration Services, decided to end their partnership with the federal government after Trump began promoting Afrikaner resettlement.