The group, which arrived in the US following President Donald Trump’s Executive Order granting expedited citizenship to white Afrikaners claiming discrimination, has reignited debates over refugee status and migration policies.  

Trump has erroneously characterised the situation as a genocide, justifying the decision to fast-track their resettlement despite widespread criticism and the SA government denials of persecution claims.  

Landau expressed strong opposition to the designation, arguing that the group does not meet the criteria for refugee status. “This is not a group that is persecuted, they’re not a group that has been, as a group, particularly disadvantaged,” he stated.  

He also highlighted the stark contrast between the US accepting Afrikaners while restricting asylum for people fleeing violence and famine in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“They are going as the only refugees now being resettled from Africa, really from the world, to the US,” he pointed out.  

Landau emphasised that refugee status should be reserved for truly vulnerable populations seeking protection. “If we’re saying there’s a deserving population that needs protection, that needs to find safety somewhere else, this is not that group,” he concluded.  

--SABC/ChannelAfrica--