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The Trump administration is advancing plans to resettle an additional 10,000 white South Africans in the United States as refugees. Under President Trump’s proposal, which was submitted to Congress on Monday, the U.S. would lift its record-low refugee admissions figure from 7,500 to 17,500, with the additional openings reserved for Afrikaners. This comes as the administration continues to block the entry of refugees from other countries. The U.S. has resettled just over 6,000 refugees between October and April — all except three were from South Africa. Trump has said Afrikaners face racial persecution and genocide in South Africa, claims that have been rejected by the U.N. Human Rights Office, among others. Last year, he cut off aid to the country and boycotted the G20 summit in Johannesburg.

“Whiteness is being recast as endangered,” says Lebohang Pheko, a professor of practice at the University of Johannesburg. “There is a move towards the alt-right, the MAGA discourse, which is about replacement theory, and which is absolutely about displacing the idea that anything other than whiteness is normative.” Pheko also suggests that Trump’s actions toward South Africa are retribution for the genocide case it brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

“We are processing resettlement cases for white Afrikaners at a record pace,” adds Sharif Aly, president of the International Refugee Assistance Project, which is currently litigating a class-action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s dismantling of the United States refugee program. “This program has never been a fast program, and it’s being expedited for just this one population.” While Afrikaners are being quickly resettled, “thousands of other people who have went through years of vetting, who have went through years of persecution and violence,” are being blocked from entering the U.S., says Aly.

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: The Trump administration is advancing plans to increase the number of white South Africans it admits to the United States as refugees in the coming months. The proposal would see an additional 10,000 white South Africans resettled into the U.S., even as the Trump administration continues to block the entry of refugees from other countries. The U.S. has resettled just over 6,000 refugees between October and April, and all except three were from South Africa. Under Trump’s new proposal, which was submitted to Congress, the U.S. would lift its record-low refugee admissions figure for the year from 7,500 to 17,500, with the additional openings reserved for Afrikaners. Trump has falsely claimed they face racial persecution and genocide. This is President Trump speaking last December.

Trump Is Bending the Refugee Program to Fit His White Nationalist Agenda

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It’s a genocide that’s taking place that you people don’t want to write about, but it’s a terrible thing that’s taking place. And farmers are being killed. They happen to be white, but whether they’re white or Black makes no difference to me, but white farmers are being brutally killed, and their land is being confiscated in South Africa.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It’s a genocide that’s taking place that you people don’t want to write about, but it’s a terrible thing that’s taking place. And farmers are being killed. They happen to be white, but whether they’re white or Black makes no difference to me, but white farmers are being brutally killed, and their land is being confiscated in South Africa.

AMY GOODMAN: The claims of a white genocide and racial violence have been rejected by the U.N. Human Rights Office, among others.

For more, we’re joined by two guests. Lebohang Pheko is a senior research fellow and political economist at the Trade Collective think tank and a professor of practice at the University of Johannesburg, joining us from Johannesburg. And in Washington, D.C., Sharif Aly joins us, president of the International Refugee Assistance Project, which is currently litigating a class-action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s dismantling of the United States refugee program.

Let’s begin with you, your lawsuit. Explain what it is. It will shock people to know, Sharif Aly, that 6,000 refugees have been accepted, incredibly record-low number of refugees from around the world, but in fact not from around the world, only from South Africa, except for three. Can you explain what’s going on? And now President Trump wants to lift the Trump administration cap, but only to allow in whites, more white South Africans.

SHARIF ALY: Yeah. Thank you so much for having me.

What I could explain is that on his day of inauguration, he issued an executive order to suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. And we’ve been in litigation since with the Pacito v. Trump case to reopen this program, which is so vital.

What’s happening is not only that they’re allowing just this one population coming into the U.S., but it’s happening to impact the lives of thousands of other people who have went through years of vetting, who have went through years of persecution and violence and trying to find safety. For instance, there’s 12,000 people prior to this executive order that were conditionally........

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