One of the first white refugees to arrive in the United States on Monday appears to have made anti-Semitic comments on social media. The Trump administration has sought to deport foreign-born pro-Palestinian activists and reject immigration requests.
Charle Kleinhaus, 46, a former South African Limpopo refugee, landed in Washington on Monday in a chartered jet alongside dozens of other Africans, a white ethnic minority that ruled among the Apartseeds. They were given safe shelter in the United States by an administration that made it virtually impossible for other groups to become refugees, including Afghanistan, who helped their country's US troops.
“We just packed our bags and left,” Kleinhouse said after landing for “safety reasons.”
White South Africans say that details of the refugee incident are unknown, but that they were discriminated against, including being denied employment opportunities and suffering from racial violence. Kleinhouse and his family moved from Washington to Buffalo, New York.
In April 2023, X Account @Charlkleinhaus wrote in a now-deleted post that Jews are “untrusted”, “a dangerous group” and “not the chosen god as they believe.”
Bio, an account that shares Kleinhaus's name, says it belongs to African ones. The account also re-shared a post that praises President Trump and calls for assault on US citizens. They also shared a combination of pro-Israel and anti-Israel posts.
In October 2023, the account shared a video of Christian worshipers who clashed with Israeli police posted on a Facebook account called “Israel is a Terrorist Nation.” @Charlkleinhaus captioned the video, “Jews attacking Christians!”
Kleinhaus confirmed that the X account is him to Bulwark, a conservative anti-Trump news site. Kleinhouse was not immediately contacted for comment.
On Wednesday, the account tried to distance itself from anti-Semitistic comments and said it was mismade. The account added: “I came from Jewish descendants.”
Last month, before Kleinhouse arrived in the US, the Department of Homeland Security said it would begin screening anti-Semitic content as a potential “reason for rejecting requests for immigration benefits” for foreigners on social media.
The federal government has called for the removal of foreigners, including many international students who participated in Palestinian protests, for speeches that are considered anti-Semitic.
The administration is about to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent resident and spokesman for Columbia University's pro-Palestinian group. The immigration judge recently ruled that the government could proceed with his removal, but the legal battle is still ongoing. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that Halil had participated in protests in support of Hamas, an anti-Semitic and terrorist group.
“This is not about freedom of speech,” Rubio said in March. “This is about people who don't have the right to be in the US in the first place. No one has the right to a student visa. By the way, no one has the right to a green card.”
Mr. Halil has not been charged with a crime.
The Department of Homeland Security, which helped to promote resettlement of African refugees, declined to comment on whether Kleinhaus and his anti-Semitic speech would face any impact.
“The Department of Homeland Security makes all refugee applicants veterinarians and veterinarians,” the department said in a statement. “Assertions of fraud have been thoroughly investigated and appropriate actions will be taken when necessary.”
The South African government has rejected Trump's claim that Africans should qualify for refugee status. The president said they were victims of genocide, but police data in the country do not support claims of mass murder.
Trump effectively halted all refugee admission programs on his first day in office, but his administration opened the door to Africans and approved applications at a rapid pace.
The rice-paid charter flight arrived Monday carried 59 people after more than 8,000 Africans expressed interest in resettlement.
John Eligon contributed the report.
