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 last year and said many of the refugees were farmers who face both the threat of expropriation and direct violence. “A fair number of these refugees were farmers who’ve farmed this particular land for generations and now face the threat not only of expropriation but also of direct violence,” Landau said, adding that some South African politicians have repeated phrases he characterized as calls to “kill the Boer, kill the Afrikaner.”

Landau said the arrivals were vetted “pursuant to our refugee standards” and were admitted under an executive order the president issued on Feb. 7 that created an exception to an earlier pause in refugee admissions. He described assimilation as “one of the very important factors that we look to in refugee admissions,” and said the refugees were admitted after screening to ensure they did not pose national security concerns.

Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar, who also greeted the group, said he and Landau had met the arrivals and heard their accounts. “This is a real situation. These people have went through a lot of stuff, and we’re just grateful to have them in the U.S.,” Edgar said. He added a personal note about the U.S. history of accepting refugees and said he and Landau had offered personal assistance to help the arrivals succeed.

Reporters asked whether the administration would extend a similar exception to other groups and whether the refugees have a pathway to U.S. citizenship. Landau reiterated that the Feb. 7 executive order created an exception for this group and said broader refugee policy remains under consideration. He said the newcomers were granted refugee status under U.S. domestic law after vetting but did not specify whether or how that status would translate to citizenship.

Landau also referenced the president’s Jan. 20 executive order that paused refugee admissions generally, saying that pause had been subject to exceptions when it was deemed in the interest of the United States. He said the group’s admission followed that exception process and the domestic legal determination that they qualified as refugees.

The briefing did not include specific details such as the number of passengers on the flight, the locations where they will be resettled in the United States, the precise vetting procedures used, or the timeline to permanent residency or citizenship. Those details were not specified during the remarks.