A plane carrying dozens of White South Africans arrived at Dulles International Airport on Monday, a State Department official said, after the Trump administration granted them refugee status in the United States.
The group — which includes families with children — was greeted at the D.C.-area airport by U.S. officials, including Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Troy Edgar. Landau told reporters the group has faced “egregious discrimination” in South Africa — which the country’s government has denied.
Landau said the new arrivals were “carefully vetted” in South Africa prior to their arrival. They departed the country’s capital city of Johannesburg via a charter plane on Sunday.
Earlier this year, President Trump directed his government to allow South Africans of European descent — particularly Afrikaners, who are largely descended from Dutch settlers — to be resettled through the U.S. refugee program.
The administration and its allies, including South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, allege members of South Africa’s White minority have faced discrimination by the country’s post-apartheid government, including through a controversial law that allows the government to take private land in some circumstances.
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The South African government has strongly denied any discrimination, and argues the land seizure law respects private property rights and only targets land that isn’t used or doesn’t serve the public interest. Land ownership has long been a sensitive issue in South Africa, which was ruled by its White minority under the apartheid system until the mid-1990s.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.