Charl Kleinhaus, a forty-six-year-old Afrikaner farmer from Mpumalanga province, South Africa. He only recently came to the United States. His application for refugee status was expedited when former President Donald Trump was in office. He is among 59 people who landed just days ago at Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C. Their journey has scandalized U.S. political elites and reopened a debate on why white farmers should be asylum seekers in the U.S.
Kleinhaus acknowledges the complex social landscape in South Africa, recognizing the suffering of black South Africans while emphasizing his own fears. Statistics indicate that farmers’ murder rates are markedly low. Following the threat of receiving death on WhatsApp, he was forced off his family’s land. “I’d regularly get messages on WhatsApp saying, ‘we’ll get rid of you, you’re on my land’,” he shared.
Then in 2006, Kleinhaus experienced a terrible tragedy of his own when his wife was killed in a bike vs. car incident. Now a single father, he is more and more concerned for the safety of his kids. Currently residing in a budget hotel near an American highway in Buffalo, New York, he reflects on the drastic change from his previous life in South Africa. “I had to leave a five-bedroom house, which I will lose now,” he stated.
Kleinhaus’s religious beliefs inform much of his understanding of this journey. Yet he sees his eventual arrival in the U.S. as orchestrated by God. “Yeah, it is scary, but I am a religious person. Just to be in this first group is an act of God, I believe,” he commented, highlighting the improbability of his selection for refugee status.
His narrative has not been without controversy. Critics have honed in on antisemitic content posted by Kleinhaus on various social media platforms. He has remained adamant that all of those comments were mischaracterized and made in a very specific time and context. “I had nothing to do with apartheid. Nothing, nothing, nothing,” he asserted in response to accusations regarding his political and social views.
Kleinhaus is undeniably steering through a new chapter in America. To counter that, he underscores that personal experiences like his shouldn’t be taken advantage of. “People must not think we are just taking advantage of this,” he stated firmly. Rather, he argues, they are all motivated by the desire to do good in their adopted city. “We come here to make a contribution to the country,” he added.
Kleinhaus shared her sensitivity to the others who are pursuing asylum, including Afghan refugees who have their own difficulties to navigate. “I feel sorry for the Afghans that they can’t get here. I know there’s a process there. I know when and if you are approved for the process, they take care of you,” he remarked.
Though sthipj ~lm~ Kleinhaus’s future is far from clear, he’s committed to his faith. He sees this switch as a big episode in God’s plan. “I’m not worried it’ll fall apart because I believe this is God’s plan for me,” he stated.
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