QUICK READ: Although Trump suspended all refugee admissions for those fleeing famines, wars, and natural disasters in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East on Day One, on May 12, he welcomed the first of many groups of Afrikaner farmers who’d already been granted refugee status, while simultaneously eliminating protected status for Afghans who had risked their lives alongside American troops fighting in Afghanistan.Our MoCs must contest the administration’s blatant racism and perversion of our immigration laws.

CONTENTS:

Background
Script for Senate
Script for House
Good Trouble
Further Reading

BACKGROUND

The same day Trump welcomed 59 white Afrikaner farmers, arriving in a chartered plane paid for by American taxpayers with expedited refugee status, he stripped Afghans’ protections—demonstrating you’re welcomed if white, wealthy and far-right aligned, but a political inconvenience if you risked your life alongside US forces in Afghanistan.

The warm reception stands in sharp contrast to his earlier suspension of refugee admissions for those fleeing famine, wars, and natural disasters in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Unlike the Afrikaners, almost all are people of color.

This administration’ racism couldn’t be clearer.

Trump portrays Afrikaners as victims of reverse discrimination being forced off their land, and, last Friday, in a televised meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, he publicly accused South Africa of genocide—a false, obscene claim:

They benefited from apartheid, which racially separated people with whites on top;
Despite its 1994 dismantling, whites—just 7% of the population—still disproportionately control its wealth and top jobs and over 50% of its land;
While crime is high, almost all victims are non-white;
According to a leading Afrikaner newspaper, they’re better off now than in 1994, and “we are not victims, there is no genocide.

Treating Afrikaners, who aren’t even being persecuted, as the only minority group worth aiding, and telling them they needn’t prove persecution to qualify for refugee assistance—because white people no longer in charge are presumed to be prosecuted—perverts our immigration laws even further.

Congress must investigate and expose these injustices.

ACTION One: Call the Senate.

Script for Oregon Senators

SEN. MERKLEY: Portland office: 503-326-3386 | D.C. office: 202-224-3753

My name is [--] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

The Trump administration’s perversion of our immigration laws to “whiten” America cannot be allowed to continue. As your constituent I demand that you investigate these atrocities, expose its outright lies and misuse of taxpayer dollars to support the imposition of “American apartheid,” and highlight the mistreatment of those who came here seeking freedom from persecution. Please also pushing for passage of pending legislation protecting Afghans already in the US and prioritizing the admission of those still waiting to join their families here.

Script for Republican Senators

D.C switchboard: 202-224-3121

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], [state], [zip code].

The Trump administration’s perversion of our immigration laws to “whiten” America cannot be allowed to continue. As your constituent I demand that you investigate these atrocities, expose its outright lies and misuse of taxpayer dollars to support the imposition of “American apartheid,” and highlight the mistreatment of those who came here seeking freedom from persecution. Please also pushing for passage of pending legislation protecting Afghans already in the US and prioritizing the admission of those still waiting to join their families here. This should be a bipartisan issue.