U.S. welcomes first flight of South African refugees under presidential order

Deputy Secretary Landau welcomed the first flight of South African refugees at a State Department press briefing, saying the group had been admitted to the United States after vetting under a presidential executive order addressing “egregious” conditions in South Africa.

Landau said the refugees, described in his remarks as primarily Afrikaner farmers, reported targeted threats and episodes of violence that South African authorities had not redressed. “They tell quite harrowing stories of the violence that they faced in South Africa that was not redressed by the authorities,” Landau said. He added that U.S. officials emphasized to the arrivals that “the American people are a welcoming and generous people.”

The deputy secretary cited a land expropriation law enacted in South Africa…