Trump administration strategy for relocating white South African inhabitants revealed in internal document
Host:
The Trump administration is making waves by apparently welcoming white South Africans, despite shutting down refugee resettlement programs for various countries. What's the lowdown on this controversial move? Katya Schwenk, a reporter from The Lever, dug into the matter and is here to share her findings. Good morning, Katya!
Katya Schwenk:
Good morning! Thanks for having me.
Host:
Great to have you on board. So, Katya, you managed to get your hands on an internal memo outlining the Trump administration's plan to help white South Africans. Can you shed some light on what you found?
Katya Schwenk:
Absolutely! We were curious about how the Trump administration could resettle these white South Africans amid all the chaos surrounding the traditional refugee resettlement system. We managed to access an internal memo from the Department of Health and Human Services and consult a source familiar with the situation. It appears that the Trump administration is indeed using some emergency authority to resettle these Afrikaners, bypassing regular protocol.
Host:
Sounds intriguing. So, is this taking place via the Office of Refugee Resettlement (OOR)?
Katya Schwenk:
Yes, that's right. The OOR is the federal agency in charge of resettling various types of refugees. Given that the nonprofits and government contractors typically involved in the resettlement process have had to shut their doors due to the administration's actions, the OOR seeks emergency authority to offer assistance to arriving white South Africans directly.
Host:
That must cause quite a stir. Now, what did the Department of Health and Human Services have to say about this?
Katya Schwenk:
Initially, they declined to comment. However, after we published our findings, they confirmed part of our reporting. They acknowledged that certain funds, known as the Preferred Communities program, reserved for extremely vulnerable refugees, are being utilized to resettle these South Africans. The memo, dated April 30, confirmed that they were scheduled to arrive soon. But it's still unclear when the first group would touch down in the U.S.
Host:
President Trump suspended the Refugee Admissions Program in January. If that's the case, how would this emergency power fit into the picture?
Katya Schwenk:
It seems that they're leveraging this emergency authority to navigate around the suspension of the program.
Host:
Thank you, Katya Schwenk from The Lever, for your enlightening reporting and your time.
Katya Schwenk:
My pleasure!
- The internal memo from the Department of Health and Human Services suggests that the Trump administration is using emergency authority to resettle white South Africans, bypassing regular protocol.
- Katya Schwenk, a reporter from The Lever, shared that the Office of Refugee Resettlement (OOR) is being used to offer assistance to arriving white South Africans directly, as other involved organizations have had to shut their doors due to the administration's actions.
- After the publication of the findings, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed part of The Lever's reporting, acknowledging that certain funds, known as the Preferred Communities program, are being utilized to resettle these South Africans.
- The administration is leveraging this emergency authority to navigate around the suspension of the Refugee Admissions Program initiated by President Trump in January.
- This controversial move by the Trump administration regarding white South Africans is a significant development in the realm of policy-and-legislation, politics, and general-news, with potential implications for refugee resettlement programs.
