Trump Backs Afrikaner Refugee Bill

In a move bound to shake international diplomacy, US Congressman Troy Nehls has introduced a controversial bill that would pave a special path to America for Afrikaans-speaking South Africans.

The bill, dubbed the 'Afrikaner Act,' proposes giving this group Priority-2 refugee status-reserved for people facing urgent threats and designated by the US State Department as needing fast-tracked resettlement.

Nehls claims the South African government is systematically targeting Afrikaners, echoing sentiments previously shared by former President Donald Trump, who has labelled their treatment a 'massive human rights violation.'

The bill's full name-the Asylum for Farmers and Refugees in Crisis and Necessary Emigration Resettlement Act- seeks to allow Afrikaners, defined in the legislation as rural farmers of European descent, an escape route to the United States . According to Nehls, these individuals face racial and ethnic persecution and need urgent protection.

But the bill's definition has raised eyebrows. It not only oversimplifies South Africa's diverse population, but also drastically overstates the number of Afrikaners, many of whom are not farmers and don't live in rural areas. The act suggests that Afrikaners make up 7 of South Africa's population, though the latest data reveals a more nuanced picture. Only about 10.6 of South Africans speak Afrikaans as a first language, and just a portion of them identify as Afrikaners. When narrowed down, actual Afrikaner numbers likely represent closer to 4.5 of the population-and not all of them fall under the rural, farming category the bill targets.