A South African man arrived at Dulles International Airport with his two children and grandson after leaving South Africa through a refugee program created by President Donald Trump. He was among the first 59 Afrikaners admitted under the program. He described the United States as a Christian country where rights are fair regardless of skin color. He said he feared for his life in South Africa and applied for the program after Trump announced it. He reported early adjustment difficulties, including trouble sleeping because his new home lacked security bars. He also cited violent attacks against his neighbor as an example of persecution he associated with the legacy of apartheid. He now works on a farm in South Dakota and hopes to start his own business.
"He arrived with his two children and grandson. Waving an American flag and brimming with excitement, he had finally achieved his long-held dream: leaving South Africa. Kleinhaus was one of the first 59 Afrikaners to enter the United States through the refugee program that President Donald Trump created. He welcomed white South Africans, while closing the doors to all other foreigners fleeing persecution or torture in their home countries."
"In the first few months after arriving, he couldn't sleep. This was because there were no security bars on his windows something he wasn't used to. Kleinhaus says that, in South Africa, he feared for his life, which led him to apply for the refugee program as soon as he saw Trump announce it. He recounts how his neighbor was hacked to death with machetes: he cites this as an example of the persecution that, he claims, whites face in a country marked by the legacy of apartheid."
"What he values most is that the U.S. is a Christian country, where you have rights where it's [fair] no matter the color of your skin. You've got the same right[s] as everybody else, he explains. He never wants to leave. The people are much better than what I ever expected, he gushes over the phone to EL PAIS."
"Kleinhaus, 47, is employed on a farm in South Dakota. He's never had a job in agriculture before (he used to work as a stonemason on construction sites). Still, despite the difficulties of such a large-scale move, he's confident that he'll soon be able to start his own business in the country that has welcomed him. He never wants to leave."
Read at english.elpais.com
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