Several weeks ago I was aghast, but not surprised, that Trump was condemning the South African government for its “mistreatment” of Afrikaners, the white residents of the country. He falsely claimed that the Black-led government was taking the land from white farmers and giving it to Blacks. This was a falsehood contrary to what was universally known about the history of draconian apartheid in the nation.
Yesterday, Trump’s asininity took another deplorable step when dozens of Afrikaners, defined as refugees, arrived in the U.S. Suddenly, and again not surprisingly, the Trump administration had flipped its anti-refugee policy where thousands of legitimate refugees wait without consideration.
According to news accounts, 59 Afrikaners, descendants of mainly Dutch colonists, were expressed in a process that normally takes months to approve. But these refugees in the Trump lexicon are exceptional and deserved special attention.
“Welcome to America,” said Christopher Landau, deputy secretary of state. “I want you to know that you are really welcome here.” The greeting stands in stark contrast to the administration’s stated position on refugee resettlement, as countless numbers of refugees who had been approved remain in limbo.
This is a blatant Black and white issue, and is consistent with Trump’s executive orders against people of color, particularly his cancelation of flights for refugees already approved to travel to the U.S. and on the same day on Jan. 22, after two days in office, granted clemency to two Washington, D.C. police officers convicted of killing a young Black man during a chase in 2020.
And so it goes, as one famous commentator observed, and while it was a general statement about the issues of yesterday, again we know so well how the past is prologue, especially when referencing Trump and his malice and intense ill will. Is there hope from the Pope?