The New York Young Republican Club endorses the AFRIKANER Act (H.R. 2607), which was introduced by Rep. Troy E. Nehls (R-TX) to extend refugee protections to Afrikaners persecuted by the insidious, communistic South African government. In recent years, Afrikaners have endured repeated calls for genocide – “Kill the Boer!” – and face the confiscation and redistribution of their property with “nil” compensation (i.e., government-sanctioned theft). These escalations come after decades of increasing institutionalized racial bias, including the promulgation of more race-based discriminatory laws than at any point in South African history.
As President Donald J. Trump noted when he cut off aid to South Africa, the treatment of the Afrikaner minority group is “unjust and immoral” and “a massive human rights violation.” The United States must do more to support Afrikaners, including those who seek to remain in their ancestral homeland.
Rep. Nehls’s bill and President Trump’s February 7th Executive Order offer a good start, but they are not a comprehensive solution. The Trump Administration should consider taking further punitive action against the South African regime if it refuses to respect the civil and political rights of the Afrikaners, including but not limited to their unimpeachable right to self-determination.
Rep. Nehls’s bill constitutes a solid step toward protecting this persecuted people and must be an American foreign policy priority. We look forward to seeing the AFRIKANER Act advance through the House Judiciary Committee.