The Government Hits at Trump Afrikaner Refugee Plan

South Africa has criticized the US in the midst of reports that it could receive white Afrikaners as refugees next week.

A document seen by the American partner of the BBC, CBS, describes the potential resettlement as a “priority” for President Donald Trump’s government, but the timing is not publicly confirmed by the White House.

Published in a statement on FridayThe South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the alleged movement as “politically motivated” and designed to undermine the “constitutional democracy” of South Africa.

In February, President Trump described Afrikaners as victims of “racial discrimination” in an executive order, which opened the prospect for them to resettle themselves in the US.

The South African authorities said that they would not block the departure of those chosen for resettlement, but that the government had sought the guarantees of its American counterpart that the selected people had been fully screened and had no intanging criminal charges.

South Africa repeated that accusations of discrimination against the white minority of the country are unfounded, and adds that crime statistics do not indicate that a racial group is the target of violent crimes on farms.

Some groups representing the rights of white farmers have said they are deliberately killed because of their race.

A spokesperson for the US Department of Foreign Affairs told the BBC that they interviewed persons interested in resettling in the US and prioritizing “Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination, but would not confirm when the redesign would begin.

The Trump government has also accused South Africa of seizing land of white farmers without compensation, something that Pretoria has repeatedly denied.