Rubio clashes with Democrats over Afrikaner ‘refugees’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clashed with Democratic senators during a tense Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday.
Rubio used the opportunity to defend President Donald Trump’s decision to grant refugee status to 49 white South Africans.
The hearing, meant to address broader foreign policy issues, including US aid cuts, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and refugee policy, quickly turned contentious over the Trump administration's decision to admit a group of Afrikaners to the US.
The comments came just days after the first group of white South Africans boarded a charter flight from OR Tambo International Airport to Washington and Texas.
Trump offered refugee status to Afrikaners, claiming they face racial discrimination in South Africa, a claim the government has vehemently denied.
Senators Tim Kaine from Virginia and Chris Van Hollen from Maryland sharply criticised Rubio and Trump for prioritising Afrikaners while dismantling long-standing refugee programmes for other persecuted groups.
"Do you think Afrikaner farmers are the most persecuted group in the world?” Kaine asked.
“Why do they get preferential treatment over Uyghurs, Rohingyas, or political dissidents from Cuba, Venezuela, and Afghanistan?”
Rubio responded that the 49 admitted individuals had met all refugee requirements, and described South Africa as a country where land seizures happen “on a racial basis”.
Kaine called the persecution claims “completely specious,” citing South Africa’s multiracial coalition government and the presence of an Afrikaner minister.
"There was never a special programme for Black South Africans during apartheid,” Kaine noted, contrasting that history with the Trump administration’s sudden prioritisation of Afrikaners.
Rubio insisted that US refugee policy is based on national interest, not even-handedness.
"We’re going to prioritise people coming into our country based on what’s in the interest of this country,” he said. “That’s a small number of people.”
When Kaine accused him of operating with “a different standard based on the colour of someone’s skin,” Rubio fired back: “You’re the one talking about the colour of their skin, not me.”
Ramaphosa seeks to reset ties amid tension
The exchange came on the eve of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s meeting with Trump at the White House, a visit Ramaphosa personally initiated in hopes of resetting strained relations between the two nations.
Rubio acknowledged the diplomatic outreach but expressed scepticism, citing South Africa’s alignment with anti-US votes at global institutions and its criticism of Israel.
"We’re open to engagement, but with eyes wide open,” Rubio said, before Van Hollen accused Rubio of abandoning US values.
Senator Van Hollen used his debate time to accuse Rubio of enabling a foreign policy driven by ideology and race.
"You’ve turned the refugee system into global apartheid,” Van Hollen said. “I regret voting to confirm you.”
He also slammed Rubio for standing by while billionaire Elon Musk, a Trump ally and vocal backer of the Afrikaner resettlement programme, gutted USAID, allegedly leading to humanitarian crises in Sudan and elsewhere.
The hearing also touched on the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Van Hollen accused Rubio of defying a Supreme Court order to return Abrego Garcia to the US.
Rubio deflected, claiming no judge can dictate foreign policy, and ridiculed Van Hollen’s trip to El Salvador to visit Abrego Garcia.
"We deported gang members, including the one you had a margarita with,” Rubio said, a comment Van Hollen dismissed as “unsubstantiated and false”.
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