Benjamin Schoonwinkel, 59, arrived in the U.S. from Johannesburg on a tourist visa in September after public remarks by President Trump encouraging Afrikaners to seek resettlement. When he told U.S. border agents he was seeking asylum at a port of entry, he was detained and transferred to the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. His lawyer says his due process rights were violated; Homeland Security stresses that asylum claims at ports of entry trigger mandatory detention while claims are investigated. Schoonwinkel expects a hearing date next month.
South African Man Detained After Seeking Asylum Following Trump’s Invitation
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Benjamin Schoonwinkel, a 59-year-old white Afrikaner, flew from Johannesburg to Atlanta in September after President Donald Trump publicly encouraged white South Africans to seek resettlement in the United States. Arriving on a tourist visa, Schoonwinkel told U.S. border agents he intended to seek asylum and was detained at the port of entry. He was later transferred to the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.
According to a video interview reported by The New York Times, Schoonwinkel appeared and sounded unwell while detained at the rural federal facility that has held immigrants swept up in recent enforcement actions. His friend Rick Taylor, who had planned to host him in Arkansas, said he encouraged Schoonwinkel to come after Mr. Trump’s remarks and was stunned by the arrest. "We thought he was doing it the right way," Taylor told the Times.
Schoonwinkel said he travelled independently rather than through the formal refugee program because he did not understand the refugee process was required. He told lawyers he had been advised that claiming asylum at a U.S. port of entry would be similar to applying through the refugee program.
Benjamin Schoonwinkel is detained at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. / Boston Globe / Boston Globe via Getty Images
In his asylum application Schoonwinkel asserted he had been persecuted in South Africa because of his race, political opinions, and membership in a particular social group. U.S. authorities confiscated documents he presented in support of his claim, including his passport, according to reporting.
Marty Rosenbluth, Schoonwinkel’s attorney, said his client’s due process rights were violated. Rosenbluth said Schoonwinkel expects to receive a hearing date next month.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed to the Daily Beast that Schoonwinkel entered the United States on a tourist visa and asserted an asylum claim at a port of entry. "Anyone who claims asylum at a port of entry is subject to mandatory detention while the government investigates their claims," she said, adding that valid claims can lead to relief while invalid ones may result in removal.
Earlier this year, in February, President Trump signed an executive order directing officials to prioritize the resettlement of Afrikaners, descendants of mostly Dutch settlers. In May, Mr. Trump described violence against white farmers in South Africa as a "genocide," a characterization that John Steenhuisen, leader of South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance, called "nonsense" in public comments.
Officials say admitted Afrikaner refugees were vetted under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program before arrival. Meanwhile, friends and advocates remain concerned about Schoonwinkel’s health and legal rights while he remains detained.
