One of the first white South African refugees to arrive in the United States on Monday appears to have made antisemitic comments on social media — grounds the Trump administration has tried to use to deport foreign-born pro-Palestinian activists and deny immigration requests.
The refugee, Charl Kleinhaus, 46, formerly of Limpopo, South Africa, landed in Washington on a chartered jet on Monday with dozens of other Afrikaners, the white ethnic minority that ruled during apartheid. They were given safe haven in the United States by an administration that has made it virtually impossible for any other group to become refugees, including Afghans who helped American forces in their country.
“We just packed our bags and left,” Mr. Kleinhaus said after landing, for “safety reasons.”
White South Africans say they have been discriminated against, including being denied job opportunities and suffering racial violence, though the specifics of the refugees’ cases are unclear. Mr. Kleinhaus and his family traveled onward from Washington to Buffalo, N.Y.
In April 2023, the X account @charlkleinhaus wrote in a now-deleted post that Jews were “untrustworthy” and “a dangerous group” and that “they are not Gods chosen like they believe they are.”
The bio in the account sharing Mr. Kleinhaus’s name says it belongs to an Afrikaner. The account also reshared posts praising President Trump and calling for the beating of a U.S. citizen. It also shared a mix of pro- and anti-Israel posts.
In October 2023, the account shared a video of Christian worshipers clashing with Israeli police that had been posted on a Facebook account called “Israel is a terrorist state.” @charlkleinhaus captioned the video “Jews attacking Christians!”
Mr. Kleinhaus confirmed that the X account was his to The Bulwark, a conservative anti-Trump news site. Mr. Kleinhaus could not immediately be reached for comment.
On Wednesday, the account attempted to distance itself from antisemitic comments, saying they were made in error. The account added: “I am from Jewish descendants.”
Last month, before Mr. Kleinhaus’s arrival in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security said it would begin screening foreigners’ social media for antisemitic content as potential “grounds for denying immigration benefit requests.”
The federal government has been seeking the removal of foreigners — including many international students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests — for speech that it deems antisemitic.
The administration is attempting to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent legal resident and the spokesman for a pro-Palestinian group at Columbia University. An immigration judge recently ruled that the government can proceed with his removal, but the legal battle is still ongoing. Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that Mr. Khalil participated in protests that were antisemitic and supported Hamas, the terrorist group.
“This is not about free speech,” Mr. Rubio said in March. “This is about people that don’t have a right to be in the United States to begin with. No one has a right to a student visa. No one has a right to a green card, by the way.”
Mr. Khalil has not been charged with a crime.
The Department of Homeland Security, which helped facilitate the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees, declined to comment on Mr. Kleinhaus and whether he would face repercussions for antisemitic speech.
“The Department of Homeland Security vets all refugee applicants,” the department said in a statement. “Any claims of misconduct are thoroughly investigated, and appropriate action will be taken as necessary.”
The South African government has rejected Mr. Trump’s claim that Afrikaners should be eligible for refugee status. The president said they were victims of genocide, but police data from the country does not support claims of mass murder.
Mr. Trump effectively halted all refugee admission programs on his first day in office, but his administration has opened the door to Afrikaners and approved their applications at a rapid pace.
The U.S.-paid charter flight that arrived on Monday carried 59 people, after more than 8,000 Afrikaners expressed interest in resettling.
John Eligon contributed reporting.
Simon J. Levien is a Times political reporter covering the 2024 elections and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
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