Latest news with #USRefugeeAdmissionsProgramme
The South African
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The South African
1000 Afrikaners prioritised for US refugee status
The US administration, under President Donald Trump, is expected to welcome 1000 Afrikaner 'refugees' this year as part of its resettlement programme. This comes after two groups of white South Africans were granted asylum in America over their 'fear of persecution' and claims of 'racial discrimination' in the country. Meanwhile, in a controversial move, Trump has indefinitely halted refugees from other countries earlier this year. According to the Washington Post, US authorities have pledged to resettle around 1000 Afrikaner 'refugees' in the coming months. The group will be prioritised above any other countries that have applied for the US Refugee Admissions Programme (USRAP) The resettlement process is expected to run until the end of September. According to the publication, the Trump administration will also move to block 160 refugees who were scheduled to travel to the US ahead of the February ban. Another 1200 had been vetted and had their flights booked to arrive in the US after the ban was imposed. International Refugee Assistance Project attorney Melissa Keaney said of the administration: 'It simply doesn't want to process any other refugee populations other than white Afrikaners'. More white South Africans are expected to take up Trump's refugee status. Image: Saul Loeb / AFP. While US authorities claim that refugee status is open to all 'racial minorities' in South Africa, the first two groups that have resettled abroad have been from the white population. Despite initially being targeted at Afrikaner farmers and white people, US authorities have since included coloured, Indian, and 'mixed-race' South Africans. Applicants must prove that they are 'persecuted' South Africans who are victims of 'racial discrimination'. Jaco Kleynhans, of the Solidarity Movement, stated that many Afrikaners had applied for refugee status. He told the media earlier this month: 'Several more groups will fly to the USA over the next few weeks. The US Embassy in Pretoria, in collaboration with the State Department in Washington, DC, is currently processing 8,000 applications. And we expect many more Afrikaner refugees to travel to the USA over the next few months. 'They are settling in states across the USA, but particularly southern states such as Texas, North and, South Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.' He continued: 'Our primary focus is not refugee status for Afrikaners. But rather to find ways to ensure a free, safe, and prosperous future for Afrikaners in South Africa. We remain 100% convinced that South Africa can and must create a home for all its people.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
Gulf Today
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Afghan refugees denied US resettlement to be deported, says Pakistan foreign minister
Pakistan has warned that Afghan refugees not accepted for resettlement by the United States would be treated as illegal immigrants and deported. In an interview with a foreign broadcaster, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that while Pakistan was open to negotiations with the US on the matter, refugees whose resettlement is denied would face deportation. "We will be examining the issue and will negotiate. However, in principle, if any refugee was meant to be taken by another country after due process - no matter the timeline - and if it doesn't happen and the country refuses, that person will be considered an illegal immigrant in Pakistan,' Dar said. "We may be forced to send such refugees back to their original country, which is Afghanistan.' Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, approximately 600,000 Afghans have fled to Pakistan, fearing persecution. Many sought resettlement in third countries, particularly the United States. While about 80,000 Afghans have been successfully relocated, more than 40,000 remain in limbo. A significant portion - around 25,000 - had been expected to be resettled in the US. However, President Donald Trump's abrupt suspension of the resettlement plan left roughly 20,000 Afghans uncertain about their future in Pakistan. President Trump's executive order on Jan 20 mandated that the secretaries of homeland security and state submit a report within 90 days on whether resuming refugee admissions under the US Refugee Admissions Programme (USRAP) would align with US interests. However, reports suggest that the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, which oversees Afghan resettlement in the US, has been instructed to develop plans for closure by April, further dashing hopes for those awaiting relocation. The Afghans slated for resettlement in third countries comprised a diverse group of individuals who had risked their lives to support the international community's efforts in Afghanistan. This included interpreters, translators, and other support staff who worked alongside the US government and coalition forces, as well as Afghan journalists, human rights activists, and humanitarian workers. In November 2023, Pakistan launched a crackdown on undocumented foreigners. Since then, more than 815,000 individuals have been repatriated. After facing pressure from rights groups and foreign governments, who feared these vulnerable individuals may face persecution at the hands of the Taliban if sent back to Afghanistan, Pakistan had initially allowed Afghans awaiting resettlement in a third country to remain in the country until their cases were processed. However, Mr Dar's latest remarks suggest the reprieve may be ending soon. Pakistan currently hosts over 2.5 million Afghan refugees, about half of whom are registered with the UNHCR. Those previously registered have been granted an extension to stay until June 2025. Last month, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif's office announced a three-phase plan to repatriate Afghan refugees, setting a March 31 deadline to expel Afghan nationals from Islamabad and Rawalpindi as part of broader deportation efforts.
Khaleej Times
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Life in limbo for refugees as Trump closes US borders
Eleven suitcases, stuffed with puffer jackets and winter boots, stood ready outside Somali refugee Hassan's corrugated iron home in Kenya's sweltering Dadaab camp. His dream of a new life in Seattle was finally within reach. The 24-year-old and his family of 10 were due to fly to the United States on February 10, ending a wait of more than 15 years and filling Hassan with hope for a fresh start on the US Pacific coast. That was until US President Donald Trump suspended refugee admissions as one of his first acts in office on January 20. "When I found out our flight was cancelled, it was very bad news for us," Hassan told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Dadaab in eastern Kenya's Garissa county. "My father sold everything, even his sheep. I was born here in Dadaab and thought I was finally leaving this place, but maybe God has other plans," added Hassan, whose name has been changed to protect his identity. From Somalia to Afghanistan, thousands of refugees who fled conflict, disaster or persecution, and were approved for resettlement in the United States, have been left stranded after Trump halted the country's refugee programme. The suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Programme (USRAP) was to ensure public safety and national security, Trump said in an executive order. It will be reviewed in three months to determine if it sufficiently benefits Americans, the order said. This is not the first time that Trump has placed restrictions on refugees. In his first term, he banned arrivals from some Muslim-majority nations, temporarily halted the resettlements and slashed the country's admissions cap to a record low. But refugee rights groups said the new suspension of USRAP was unprecedented. Erol Kekic, a senior vice-president at the Church World Service — a charity that screens refugees for US resettlement —said it was "devastating" and "heart-breaking". "We have never seen anything like this at this level before, despite the changes that have taken place during the first Trump administration," Kekic told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Refugee resettlement is one of those proud traditions in the United States that has been practised for such a long time, and we're hoping to try to find a way to continue to do it." No opportunities According to the United Nations, nearly 38 million people worldwide are refugees — and 65 per cent of them come from just four countries: Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine and Afghanistan. Many refugees live in poverty in countries such as Iran, Turkey, Uganda, Pakistan and Kenya, and face a barrage of challenges. Often banned from working, they live in decrepit housing and usually lack the most basic of services. Kenya is home to more than 820,000 refugees, most of whom fled neighbouring Somalia after it descended into civil war in 1991. Over the years, more refugees have streamed in, uprooted by drought, famine and persistent insecurity. Many are housed in sprawling refugee camps like Dadaab — a settlement spread over 50sqkm of semi-arid desert that is home to more than 415,000 people. Residents have few ways to earn a living other than rearing goats, manual labour and running kiosks sewing clothes, selling camel meat or charging cell phones from solar panels. Kenya forbids refugees from leaving the camp to seek work. As a result, people are poor and bereft of options. They live in tarpaulin tents or shacks made of corrugated iron and branches, and rely on rations of cooking oil, milk powder, rice and sugar sent by foreign donors. Many Somali refugees have lived in Dadaab for decades; some were born in the camp and have never seen life outside. With most unable to return home to Somalia, tens of thousands have sought a better life whole continents away. While the United States is often a prized destination, US policy on refugee resettlement is complex. Vetting and screening — X-rays, vaccinations and a host of other medical examinations — can take more than a decade. Refugee upon refugee recounts the same tale of years lost to process and procedure, interviews, screenings and then — finally — approval granted only to see their long-awaited escape flights suspended until further notice, no explanation given. During Trump's first term, the fear of languishing in camps for years saw young men lured by people smugglers into risky, illegal routes to Europe or to the United States via Mexico. "These people smugglers are smart. They target young men who are desperate after having their flights cancelled and promise to take them through another route," said Abdirahim, 29, who had his flight cancelled in Trump's first term and now again in his second term. "But many boys just go missing. Or their families here in Dadaab get calls from smugglers in Libya who have kidnapped them and demand thousands of dollars in ransom," added Abdirahim, whose name has been changed to protect his identity. 'We are not bad people' As well as refugees, thousands of Afghan and Iraqi nationals — people who had worked with the US government and been granted Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) to resettle in the United States — have also been left in limbo. In Afghanistan, many people have been forced into hiding fearing reprisals after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Subhan Safi, 28, worked with US troops as a plumber for three years. In December 2023, he was granted an SIV and more than one year on, was still awaiting evacuation from Kabul. "I have been waiting to get on a flight ... but now I am facing an uncertain future and do not know what will happen next," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in Kabul. "I'm still hopeful that the US president's decision will change, and that people like me, who are at risk, will be allowed entry. I'm very eager to start a new and better life," added Safi, whose name has been changed to protect his identity. The US State Department would not say how many people were awaiting resettlement, but confirmed admissions were on hold. "Consistent with President Trump's Executive Order ... the Department of State is coordinating with implementing partners to suspend refugee arrivals and case processing activities," it said in a statement to the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said it was analysing the order, and was ready to work with Trump to find solutions. "Refugee resettlement is a life-saving measure for those most at risk, including survivors of violence or torture, women and children at risk, and individuals with legal or physical protection needs," said a UNHCR spokesperson. Dadaab refugees said they had no choice but to hope that Trump would lift his suspension after the three-month review. Some even said they didn't blame him. "I agree with President Trump. Illegal people should not be in his country. I think once he has deported all the illegal people, he will let the refugees come and do their jobs," said Abdi, 24, who has been waiting 16 years for resettlement. "We are not bad people. We want go to the US but we want to go properly and legally," added Abdi, whose name has been changed to protect his identity.
