The Trump administration is working to submit the first group of white South Africans classified as refugees early next week, according to officials who were described in the plans and documents obtained by the New York Times.
The president effectively halted all other refugee hospitalizations shortly after taking office in January, but his administration hastily put together a programme that allows South Africans.
The administration will be dispatched to Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia for an event marking the arrival of South Africans, according to a memo from the Department of Health and Human Services. The administration initially planned to welcome Africans on Monday, but some officials familiar with the issue warned that the plan would be subject to liquidity and group logistics and processing.
The arrival of Africans will solidify Trump's efforts to overturn a program that has allowed thousands of people to find safe shelters in the United States over decades from war, hunger and natural disasters.
The program remains suspended for refugees around the world, including refugee camps and Rohingya Congolese families, but Rohingya seeking safety has been processed much faster than usual for these cases.
Refugees can often wait for years at camps around the world. Before the first Trump administration, refugees resettlement averaged between 18 and 24 months, according to the American Council on Immigration, an immigration advocacy group. Many refugees have to wait many years.
However, Africans had to wait within three months.
The arrival of white South Africans comes after Trump signed an executive order to suspend hospitalizations for refugees when he took office. Then in February, Trump created an exception to resettlement for Africans, and at the same time reduced all US financial support to South Africa.
Mark Hetfield, president of Hias, the Jewish resettlement agency, said his organization is committed to welcoming Africans.
“But we are deeply disturbed by the administration's denunciation of the doors in the face of thousands of refugees approved by the DHS several months ago, despite the courts that ordered many homes to be put into the White House,” Hetfield said, referring to the Department of Homeland Security. “That's not right.”
Many Africans say they are targeted by criminals and denied jobs that have been ignored by the government because of their race. Trump's support for Africans dates back to his first term. But he came to their side this year after South Africa's president enacted a law that would allow the government to seize land from private owners without providing compensation in rare cases.
Proponents of such measures say they are needed to cancel traces of colonialism and apartheid. The South African government has been modest with Trump and his officials, saying they are spreading misinformation.
Documents obtained during the era show that within weeks of the announcement that Africans would be eligible for refugee status, the administration deployed a team in Pretoria, the South African capital, announced that Africans would be eligible for refugee status. The team investigated more than 8,000 requests from people who are interested in becoming refugees, and the US government has identified 100 Africans who could be approved. Trump administration officials have been instructed to focus on screening white African farmers, particularly white.
Refugees resettlement is usually largely funded by the State Department. But Trump halted the program when he took office.
Therefore, the administration is more dependent on another institution that has traditionally supported refugees: the refugee office of the Department of Health and Human Services. According to a department memo obtained by The Times, the office is reaching out to organizations supporting refugees in preparation for the arrival of Africans.
The administration is preparing to help Africans find “temporary or long-term housing” and “basic furniture, essential household items, cleaning supplies.” The administration also plans to help Africans “have food products, weather-friendly clothing, diapers, formulas, hygiene products, and prepaid mobile phones that support households' daily well-being.
Refugee advocates said the rapid mobilization of allowing Africans to resettle, sometimes facing court orders, highlighting the regime's inaction against other refugees.
“Thousands of refugees from around the world remain marginalized in Limbo despite their full vet and approved, including Afghanistan's allies, religious minorities, and other groups facing extreme violence and persecution.” “We hope that this development reflects the broader preparations to keep all refugees' protection commitments that meet longstanding legal standards, regardless of country of origin.”
Earlier this week, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to lift the ban on refugees cleared for travel before Trump took office, and to give him the opportunity to finally enter the country.
The rapid arrival of Africans will fly in the face of the government's claim that they cannot handle already approved refugees, even after multiple courts have ordered them to do so. “Thousands of refugees are on the frontier who have been illegally left behind by President Trump's refugee halt, ready to resume life in the United States. There's no more time for excuses.”
