By Mark Ogagan
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that South African farmers fleeing their country for safety reasons will be offered an “immediate” pathway to American citizenship.
Trump, on Truth Social, accused South Africa of land seizures and mistreatment of its farmers, calling the situation “terrible” and promising swift action, claims Pretoria denies.
“Any Farmer (with family!) from South Africa, seeking to flee that country for reasons of safety, will be invited into the United States of America with a rapid pathway to Citizenship,” Trump wrote. “This process will begin immediately!”
Trump also reiterated that all federal funding to the African country should be stopped. According to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the country was only receiving HIV/AIDS prevention funding from the US.
The announcement comes amid tensions over South Africa’s land reform policies, which Trump claims unfairly target white farmers. However, the Trump’s plan faces logistical hurdles, as the US Refugee Admission Program (USRAP) has been suspended since January, halting all refugee arrivals and case processing.
Ramaphosa recently signed an expropriation bill into law, allowing land seizures without compensation if deemed “just, equitable, and in the public interest.”
The government argues that the law addresses apartheid-era injustices, dismissing Trump’s accusations as misinformation.
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