The United States refugee system may undergo a major overhaul that would benefit certain groups of people, such as white South Africans, English-speakers, and "Europeans who oppose migration," according to a Wednesday New York Times report, citing documents that the paper obtained.
The system for taking in asylum seekers is being considered to undergo a complete change by the Trump administration.
Changes in the system would see applicants prioritized and tested on how well they would be able to assimilate in the country, adding that they would be required to take classes on US history and values. For Europeans, the NYT quoted a US senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, that the current administration is monitoring who in the continent would be eligible for refugee status.
The report added that some proposals for the refugee system "have already gone into effect," and claims that it "conforms to Trump’s vision of immigration, which is to help mostly white people who say they are being persecuted while keeping the vast majority of other people out." The US leader had reportedly already prioritized white South Africans, commonly referred to as Afrikaners, for the new asylum system, claiming that they "face racial persecution in their home country," according to the report.
The US president had reportedly directed federal agencies that if refugee resettlement was in US interests, the report added, and plans were presented to him in April and July of this year. US officials involved in the refugee system change talks have not ruled out any ideas, NYT cited people familiar with the planning.
In May, South African Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein disagreed with the notion that "white South Africans taking up residence in the US are unique to the white community," and challenged the US administration's contention that the Afrikaners are being singled out for persecution.
US officials ask countries to join campaign to roll back asylum protections
The Times report also comes weeks after top officials from the current US administration had urged other nations to join a global campaign to roll back asylum protections.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau laid out the US stance, saying migrants should seek asylum in the first country they enter, not a nation of their choosing, adding that asylum should be temporary.
Reuters and Shira Li Bartov/JTA contributed to this report.