Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers can now detain refugees who haven&#8217;t obtained green cards within their first year in the United States as part of a larger crackdown on fraud and potential national security threats, according to a new federal memo.
The Trump administration is now instructing federal officers to arrest the refugees and &#8220;re-vet&#8221; them, according to the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-gives-ice-broader-powers-to-detain-legal-refugees-citing-security-concerns/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memo</a>, which was obtained by CBS News. The Feb. 18 memo states that refugees who haven&#8217;t become legal permanent residents after one year, meaning they never obtained a green card, must avail themselves to federal immigration authorities to have their cases reviewed.
If they fail to do so voluntarily, they may face arrest by ICE.
ICE can then hold them &#8220;for the duration of the inspection and examination process,&#8221; according to the memo, which came from acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow.
&#8220;The detain-and-inspect requirement ensures that refugees are re-vetted after one year, aligns post-admission vetting with that applied to other applicants for admission, and promotes public safety,&#8221; the memo reads.
&#8220;The changes are designed to better enforce the statutory requirement that aliens admitted as refugees who have been present in the United States for at least one year return or be returned to DHS custody for inspection and examination for admission as an LPR [legal permanent resident]. They further reflect the public policy interest in thorough vetting of aliens admitted as refugees, including vetting for national security, public safety, and fraud-related issues.&#8221;
Former ICE New York field office deputy director Scott Mechkowski told The Daily Wire that the move is &#8220;essential,&#8221; given &#8220;evolving global threats.&#8221;
&#8220;This ensures that our immigration system remains resilient against potential fraud or emerging risks and thereby protecting American communities and upholding the integrity of our humanitarian commitments without compromising public safety,&#8221; Mechkowski said.
Previously, refugees couldn&#8217;t be detained solely because of their failure to get residency within their first year in the United States, according to CBS. ICE also had just 48 hours to decide whether to release refugees or place them into deportation proceedings if there were any red flags.
Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and current resident fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Daily Wire &#8220;that the prior policy was not consistent with the language of section 209(a) of the INA [Immigration and Nationality Act],&#8221; which states that refugees who fail to obtain a green card in the first year &#8220;shall, at the end of such year period, return or be returned to the custody of the Department of Homeland Security for inspection and examination for admission.&#8221;
&#8220;The whole idea behind that refugee scheme is that certain foreign nationals are so endangered that we must allow them in, and then we will complete the inspection after they have been here for a year &#8212; a fact that should be clear from the statute,&#8221; Arthur said.
Many refugees let in during the Biden administration &#8220;may not have met the definition of &#8216;refugee'&#8221; as spelled out in the Immigration and Nationality Act &#8220;because they lacked a well-founded fear of persecution on account of the five factors (race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion) therein,&#8221; Arthur said.
Last year, the Trump administration set the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-sets-refugee-limit-to-lowest-level-in-history">refugee cap</a> at the lowest level in the country&#8217;s history, allowing just 7,500 immigrants to enter. The federal government also commenced a review of refugees brought into the country during the Biden administration, according to CBS.
An Afghan national who <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/lakanwal-newly-indicted-shooting-guardsmen-near-white-house-killed-sarah-beckstrom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was brought into the country</a> by the Biden administration in 2021 shot two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 26. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom tragically succumbed to the injuries she sustained in the ambush.
The attack sparked a pause on all immigration applications from foreigners who hail from &#8220;high risk&#8221; countries.
Refugee advocates say the latest move by the Trump administration will open the floodgates for the Trump administration&#8217;s deportation campaign.
&#8220;This policy is a transparent effort to detain and potentially deport thousands of people who are legally present in this country, people the U.S. government itself welcomed after years of extreme vetting,&#8221; said Beth Oppenheim, the CEO of HIAS, which helps with refugee resettlement, according to CBS.

US-AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT-ARRIVALS

A Little-Known Rule Surfaces As Trump Admin Reopens The Books On Refugees

Department of Homeland Security

Refugees

Social Issues

Trump Administration

U.S.

At least two media outlets responded to an Afghan national&#8217;s attack on two National Guardsmen by fretting over how President Donald Trump&#8217;s reaction might hurt refugees.
The suspect in the shooting, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national admitted to the United States in 2021, in the aftermath of former President Joe Biden&#8217;s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. On Wednesday, he opened fire on two National Guardsmen just blocks from the White House, killing one, Sarah Beckstrom and leaving the other, Andrew Wolfe, fighting for his life with critical injuries.
Trump, a vocal critic of the Biden administration&#8217;s Afghanistan failures, <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115625421503636680">quickly promised</a> to &#8220;fix&#8221; the problems created when Biden allowed &#8220;hundreds of thousands of people&#8221; to come into the United States from Afghanistan, &#8220;totally unvetted and unchecked.&#8221;
The president also vowed to &#8220;permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries&#8221; and said that he planned to &#8220;deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.&#8221;
Rather than cover the story straight or report on the risk that Biden&#8217;s refugee policies pose to American citizens, the Associated Press telegraphed concern for Afghan refugees in the United States.
&#8220;Trump administration plan to review Biden-era refugees sparks worry and uncertainty,&#8221; one AP headline <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-refugees-chaos-fear-biden-immigration-memo-review-4991f722e9484816f6ea4cc705a6cd63">read</a>.
<blockquote>The Trump administration’s <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/trumo-refugees-memo-biden-review-82cdbae263a903c6dcf25c2e04f50684" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">plan to review all refugees admitted</a> to the United States under the Biden administration is weighing heavily on people who could be affected by the evaluation, fueling uncertainty and worry among people who believed their status was secured.</blockquote>
Another headline <a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-shooting-refugee-reactions-368d69586a28dabf47bf8e7025946068">reported</a> that &#8220;Refugee groups worry about backlash after shooting of National Guard soldiers in DC.&#8221;
<blockquote>Many Afghans living in the U.S. are afraid to leave their houses, fearing they’ll be swept up by immigration officials or attacked with hate speech, said Shawn VanDiver, president of the San Diego-based group #AfghanEvac, a group that helps resettle Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the two-decade war.
“They’re terrified. It’s insane,” VanDiver told The Associated Press Thursday. “People are acting xenophobic because of one deranged man. He doesn’t represent all Afghans. He represents himself.”</blockquote>
Yet another piece <a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-shooting-afghan-operation-allies-welcome-b11c48fb0b807e8f519c266e2a004d8e">suggested</a> that Trump was in the wrong for criticizing the Biden administration for bringing unvetted Afghans into the United States in the first place. &#8220;Trump criticizes the program that brought Afghan refugees to the US who fought the Taliban,&#8221; it read.
<blockquote>The program, called <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-new-jersey-united-states-kabul-taliban-273f9ebedfdd94739d6dbe77d7cbc3db" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">Operation Allies Welcome</a>, was created after the 2021 decision to leave Afghanistan following 20 years of American intervention and billions of dollars of aid.
Democratic President Joe Biden, who oversaw the withdrawal started by his predecessor — Republican President Donald Trump — said the U.S. owed it to the interpreters and translators, the fighters and drivers and others who opposed the Taliban to give them a safe place outside of Afghanistan.</blockquote>
The New York Times was slightly more overt in its adoption of the &#8220;Trump pounces&#8221; theme, with one headline <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/27/us/politics/trump-national-guard-shooting.html">asserting</a> &#8220;Trump Uses National Guard Shooting to Cast Suspicion on Refugees.&#8221;
<blockquote>President Trump claimed there were &#8220;a lot of problems with Afghans,&#8221; without providing evidence, as his administration announced that it was implementing new immigration guidelines.</blockquote>
But as those outlets and others have chosen to ignore, Army Ranger veteran and Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell warned the Biden administration in real time, telling anyone who would listen that bringing unvetted Afghans into the United States was a recipe for disaster.
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At the time, he <a href="https://x.com/Surabees/status/1994030582116876620">told the story</a> of an Afghan interpreter who had been working with his platoon for more than a year before betraying them, putting them on a path where a land mine injured several and killed one of Parnell&#8217;s men.
&#8220;After that mission was over, during our After Action Report (AAR), we found out that our interpreter — who had been with us every step of the way, someone who we thought was our friend — we learned that he was working with an Iranian IED cell in Pakistan, and coordinated the placement of that mine,&#8221; Parnell explained.
But Parnell&#8217;s warning fell on deaf ears. Just one day before the deadly shooting cast a pall over a nation preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving, another Afghan national <a href="https://x.com/Brooketaylortv/status/1994807675767398902">was arrested</a> for making a terroristic threat&#8221; and posting it on TikTok.
Fox News national correspondent Brooke Taylor reported that Mohammad Dawood Alokozay made it clear in the video that he was building a bomb and had intended to target the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Like the shooting suspect in custody in D.C., Alokozay was brought into the United States in the aftermath of the Afghanistan withdrawal under Biden&#8217;s Operation Allies Welcome. He was granted legal permanent resident status in September 2022.

Donald Trump

After Deadly National Guard Attack, Media Fret About Afghan Refugees

Media Outlets Turn Targeted National Guard Shooting Into 'Trump Pounces' Headlines

Afghanistan

Associated Press

Media

New York Times

Politics

The Trump administration will let in just 7,500 refugees this year, marking the lowest cap on admissions in United States history, <a href="https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-19752.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a Thursday federal notice.
The Trump administration said refugee status will &#8220;primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa &#8230; and other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands.&#8221;
The latest refugee limit accounts for the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. The Biden administration set the previous year&#8217;s limit at a whopping 125,000, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/us/politics/trump-refugee-admissions-white-south-africans.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The New York Times.
When President Donald Trump reentered the White House, he paused refugee admissions, citing the &#8220;record levels of migration&#8221; flows under the Biden administration.
In February, Trump signed an executive <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/addressing-egregious-actions-of-the-republic-of-south-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">order</a> freezing aid to South Africa after it enacted a law &#8220;to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.&#8221;
Julius Malema, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa, earlier chanted “shoot to kill” and “kill the boer” at a political rally in reference to the white Afrikaner population. At another event, he said that his political movement is “cutting the throat of whiteness.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
South Africa&#8217;s Julius Malema, the party leader of the EFF calls for killing white people:
&#8220;Shoot to kiII. KiII the Boer, the farmer&#8221;<a href="https://t.co/vFjqJ9l8GR">pic.twitter.com/vFjqJ9l8GR</a> <a href="https://t.co/sxzS0d0Dn4">https://t.co/sxzS0d0Dn4</a>
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1903420572391907834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
The U.S. welcomed the first group of Afrikaner refugees in May.
At the time, Trump accused the South African government of committing a &#8220;genocide&#8221; against its white citizens.
“It is a genocide that is taking place that you people don’t want to write about,” Trump told reporters at the White House at the time.
“It’s a terrible thing that’s taking place and farmers are being killed,” he added. “They happen to be white, but whether they are white or black makes no difference to me.”
Democrats, however, have expressed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-says-dem-senator-only-opposes-afrikaner-refugees-because-of-their-race">outrage</a> over the Trump administration&#8217;s acceptance of white South African refugees, accusing officials of prioritizing them because of the color of their skin.
The issue became a focal point of a Congressional hearing in May that featured Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Can you have a different standard based upon the color of somebody’s skin? Would that be acceptable?” Democrat Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine asked Rubio at the time.
&#8220;I’m not the one arguing that, apparently you are because you don’t like the fact that they’re white and that’s why they’re coming,” Rubio shot back in response.
<div class="ad-wrapper" data-testid="ad-wrapper">
“You’re the one that’s talking about the color of their skin, not me. These are people whose farms were burned down and they were killed because of the color of their skin,” the Secretary of State went on to add.
The Episcopal Church’s refugee resettlement wing, which has resettled migrants in the U.S. for decades, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/episcopal-church-refuses-to-resettle-white-south-african-refugees-citing-racial-justice-commitment?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Episcopal+Church+Refuses+To+Resettle+White+South+African+Refugees%2C+Citing+%E2%80%98Racial+Justice%E2%80%99+Commitment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> in May that it would refuse to help settle the Afrikaners for explicitly racial reasons.
The organization also pledged to cancel its existing resettlement contract with the federal government over the controversy.
</div>

US-SAFRICA-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-IMMIGRATION

Trump Sets Refugee Limit To Lowest Level In History

South Africa

Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed Democrat Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) over his reaction to America’s acceptance of white South African refugees, with the Trump administration official charging that the Democrat doesn’t like the refugees because they’re white.
The heated exchange came during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting, which came just a week after less than 60 Afrikaner refugees <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crljn5046epo">arrived</a> in Virginia, prompting outrage from many on the Left.
“Can you have a different standard based upon the color of somebody&#8217;s skin? Would that be acceptable?” Kaine asked Rubio during the committee meeting. “I&#8217;m not the one arguing that, apparently you are because you don&#8217;t like the fact that they’re white and that’s why they’re coming,” Rubio shot back in response.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
&#8220;You just don&#8217;t like that they&#8217;re white&#8221;
Secretary Of State Rubio smokes Tim Kaine for melting down over the legal admittance for 59 White refugees
<a href="https://t.co/8WMDoaBNY4">pic.twitter.com/8WMDoaBNY4</a>
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1924871155669717152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
“You&#8217;re the one that&#8217;s talking about the color of their skin, not me. These are people whose farms were burned down and they were killed because of the color of their skin,” the Secretary of State went on to add.
He also explained during the hearing that the Afrikaners qualify for refugee status because they “live in a country where farms are taken and land is taken on a racial basis.”
Kaine <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rubio-clashes-kaine-south-african-refugees-you-dont-like-theyre-white">claimed</a> that the notion that Afrikaners are being persecuted because of their race is “completely specious,” but South African political leaders have openly called for the killing of white South Africans at large political rallies.
Julius Malema, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa, chanted “shoot to kill” and “kill the boer” at a political rally in reference to the white Afrikaner population. At another event, he said that his political movement is “cutting the throat of whiteness.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
South Africa&#8217;s Julius Malema, the party leader of the EFF calls for killing white people:
&#8220;Shoot to kiII. KiII the Boer, the farmer&#8221;<a href="https://t.co/vFjqJ9l8GR">pic.twitter.com/vFjqJ9l8GR</a> <a href="https://t.co/sxzS0d0Dn4">https://t.co/sxzS0d0Dn4</a>
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1903420572391907834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
The Episcopal Church’s refugee resettlement wing, which has resettled migrants in the United States for decades, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/episcopal-church-refuses-to-resettle-white-south-african-refugees-citing-racial-justice-commitment?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Episcopal+Church+Refuses+To+Resettle+White+South+African+Refugees%2C+Citing+%E2%80%98Racial+Justice%E2%80%99+Commitment">announced</a> that it would refuse to help settle the Afrikaners for explicitly racial reasons. Episcopal Migration Ministries cited its “steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation” as it announced its refusal of support for the Afrikaners.
The organization even said it would terminate its existing resettlement contract with the federal government over the controversy. “We have determined that, by the end of the federal fiscal year, we will conclude our refugee resettlement grant agreements with the U.S. federal government,” Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said.

Marco Rubio

Rubio Says Dem Senator Only Opposes Afrikaner Refugees Because Of Their Race

Global Politics

Immigration

Tim Kaine

The hosts of ABC&#8217;s &#8220;The View&#8221; joined a number of other media personalities in claiming that President Donald Trump was only allowing 59 Afrikaners to claim <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spare-me-scott-jennings-scorches-dems-for-sudden-about-face-on-refugees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refugee status</a> because they are white — while also claiming that because the Afrikaners are white, they are not &#8220;truly refugees.&#8221;
Sunny Hostin addressed the issue during Thursday&#8217;s broadcast, complaining that the Trump administration had limited refugee status for Afghans and Haitians, to whom she referred as &#8220;truly refugees.&#8221; Hostin also took a swing at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, saying she found it to be an &#8220;insult&#8221; that the former South Dakota Governor holds that position.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Staunchly racist Sunny Hostin denouncing President Trump granting refugee status to 59 white South Africans. She demands the status for Haitians, who are &#8220;truly refugees.&#8221; 
JOY BEHAR: They&#8217;re not white people. That&#8217;s why they don&#8217;t want them here. 
SUNNY HOSTIN: She said it, I… <a href="https://t.co/3iBDrey1VO">pic.twitter.com/3iBDrey1VO</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1923052595846774839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;For me, you know, I think one thing — having Kristi Noem be in charge of Homeland Security, in and of itself, is an insult, it&#8217;s just an insult,&#8221; Hostin began. &#8220;And I think something that we&#8217;re not talking about — enough about — is what Donald Trump did on Monday: the Trump administration allowed in 59 white South African refugees into this country, claiming that they were fleeing racial discrimination and land appropriation.&#8221;
Hostin went on to claim that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had disputed reports of land appropriation and racially motivated discrimination — despite the fact that Ramaphosa himself signed a bill into law in late January that allows the government to expropriate private property for reasons up to and including &#8220;to promote inclusivity and access to natural resources.&#8221;
The Afrikaners, according to Hostin, did not qualify as refugees. Instead, she referenced refugees from Afghanistan and falsely claimed that the program in place to grant protected status to Afghans &#8220;who helped us&#8221; during the war had been ended. In fact, the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghans-deportation-protections-ending/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended</a> Afghan Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program is entirely separate from the more permanent Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program exclusively for Afghans who were allies during the war.
&#8220;And so the fact that Afghan refugees — people who helped us during the Afghanistan war — who helped us and protected our troops, that program has been dismissed. The fact that Haitians that are truly refugees, they have been denied protected status.&#8221;
&#8220;They&#8217;re not white people. That&#8217;s why they don&#8217;t want them here,&#8221; cohost Joy Behar suggested.
&#8220;She said it, I didn&#8217;t,&#8221; Hostin agreed.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, SARA HAINES, JOY BEHAR, SUNNY HOSTIN, ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN

‘The View’ Hosts Are Pretty Sure That White South Africans Aren’t ‘Truly Refugees’

'The View' Hosts Are Pretty Sure That White South Africans Aren't 'Truly Refugees'

Joy Behar

Racism

Sunny Hostin

The View

President Donald Trump travels to the Middle East, where he inks massive arms and investment deals, Sean Combs’ sex trafficking trial brings shocking testimony, and the Left is outraged as Trump welcomes Afrikaner refugees.
It’s Wednesday, May 14, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>Trump Secures Massive Saudi Investment</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-919927 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_33_14.Still001-1.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_33_14.Still001-1.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_33_14.Still001-1-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: President Trump secures a $600 billion investment in the U.S. from Saudi Arabia.
President Trump and an entourage of his top officials were in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, where the president secured a $600 billion investment in the United States and the largest arms deal in history. Trump arrived in Qatar on Wednesday morning and plans to visit the United Arab Emirates while negotiating economic deals and signaling a new approach to American foreign policy in the Middle East.
“Far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it&#8217;s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins,” Trump said. “It is God&#8217;s job to sit in judgment — my job to defend America and to promote the fundamental interests of stability, prosperity, and peace.&#8221;
Trump also celebrated a recent ceasefire with the Houthis, who agreed to suspend attacks on American shipping in the Red Sea after months of intense aerial bombardment by U.S. military forces. The president announced the cessation of sanctions on Syria, to give the new government, which ousted the Russian- and Iranian-backed Bashar al-Assad last December, “a chance at greatness.&#8221; Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, is a former Al-Qaeda fighter who fought against American forces in Iraq. He has been Syria&#8217;s president since January and has attempted to rebrand himself as a moderate figure focused more on Syrian interests than jihad.
“In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace. That’s what we want to see,” Trump said.
However, Trump’s rhetoric was not entirely dovish – he issued a stern warning to Iran, a longtime regional adversary of the United States that has come perilously close to developing nuclear weapons. “Iran CAN have a much brighter future — but we will NEVER allow them to threaten America and our allies with terrorism or a nuclear attack. The choice is theirs to make.”
<h2>Did Diddy Do It?</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-919929" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_37_02.Still004-1.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_37_02.Still004-1.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_37_02.Still004-1-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: Eight months after his arrest, the federal trial of music mogul Sean &#8220;Diddy&#8221; Combs kicked off this week in Manhattan. The charges Combs faces — including sex trafficking, coercion, and racketeering — have sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry.
The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs began on Monday. Prosecutors painted a dark picture, alleging that Combs used his fame, wealth, and multimedia empire to orchestrate a decades-long scheme involving sex trafficking and violence. They claim he lured women with promises of romance or career opportunities, only to force them into “freak offs” — drug-fueled sexual performances involving male prostitutes, some recorded to blackmail victims into silence. They also claim it was particularly during these “freak offs” where women, including his former girlfriend, R&amp;B singer Cassie Ventura, were abused and manipulated.
Combs has been charged with five felony counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and two counts of transportation for prostitution. If convicted, he could face life in prison, with a minimum of 15 years for the sex trafficking charges alone.
On Tuesday, Ventura took the stand and said Combs “too frequently… mashed in [her] head, dragged [her] along the floor, kicked [her], stomped on [her] head.&#8221; She also said he characterized these drug and alcohol-fueled “freak-offs” as part of her “job” and that they increased in frequency over the course of their relationship. She said that in the final years she was with Combs, these sex sessions became “all-consuming” and she spent most of her time engaging in the freak-offs or recovering from them while enduring abuse from Combs.
The jury also heard from Daniel Phillip, a former male escort. He gave graphic testimony about being paid to have sex with Ventura at the Gramercy Park Hotel in 2012 while Combs watched from the corner, masturbating and directing the encounters. He also recounted a disturbing incident where Combs allegedly forced him to urinate into Ventura’s mouth. Phillip also said he witnessed Combs’ physical abuse when he threw a liquor bottle at Ventura, dragged her into a bedroom, and slapped her as she screamed, “I’m sorry!” Phillip said he was “terrified” to intervene, citing Combs’ power and nearby bodyguards.
Combs’ defense admitted their client is a “complicated man” with flaws, including a history of drug use and domestic violence, but stressed that domestic abuse is not a federal crime and insisted this isn’t a racketeering or trafficking case. Teny Geragos, one of Combs’ attorneys who is the daughter of celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos, told jurors, “This is about Sean Combs’ private sex life,” emphasizing that the women involved, including Ventura, were “strong, capable, and in love with him,” making consensual choices.
<h2>Afrikaner Refugees Arrive In The United States</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-919931" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_34_15.Still003.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_34_15.Still003.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_34_15.Still003-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: The first group of white Afrikaners who were granted refugee status by the Trump administration arrived in the United States this week, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/12/trump-afrikaners-refugees-immigration-00342029?utm_source=chatgpt.com">sparking outrage</a> on the Left.
Afrikaners are a South African ethnic group. Fifty-nine Afrikaner men, women, and children arrived in America this week, many of them farmers. They were vetted and granted refugee status very quickly, within a matter of months – the refugee vetting process ordinarily takes years. President Trump, who has been outspokenly opposed to the treatment of white South Africans by their government, signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/addressing-egregious-actions-of-the-republic-of-south-africa/">executive order</a> in February to end aid to South Africa over its discriminatory racial policies, specifically pertaining to white farmers. The order notes that South Africa has taken “aggressive positions” toward the U.S. and her allies, including Israel, and also notes the recently enacted Expropriation Act, which the order said enables the South African government “to seize” Afrikaners&#8217; agricultural property without compensation.”
The State Department said Afrikaners face unjust racial discrimination in South Africa, and added that no one should be subject to “violent attacks because of their ethnicity.” One refugee said that she was attacked on her farm four different times. She said that Afrikaners are being blamed and targeted for the past apartheid in South Africa. Hundreds of people have been killed on farms in just the last four years or so. Not all of those people were white, but many were.
“What’s happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said. “This is persecution based on a protected characteristic, in this case, race. This is race-based persecution. The refugee program is not intended as a solution for global poverty.”
The Left has argued that Trump is favoring these refugees because they’re white – they’ve cited the president’s moves to halt most of the refugee programs established under Joe Biden from nations like Afghanistan, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Trump argues that those programs did not vet refugees properly, especially from those nations that are considered high-risk.

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Persecution

The Trump administration on Monday defended its decision to offer refugee status to dozens of white Afrikaners who said they were persecuted in South Africa.
President Donald Trump in a press briefing at the White House defended welcoming 49 Afrikaners who arrived on a U.S.-chartered flight from South Africa on Monday. Trump told reporters that white Afrikaners are “being killed” in a “genocide.”
“They’re being killed, and we don&#8217;t want to see people be killed,” Trump said. “It&#8217;s a terrible thing that&#8217;s taking place. Farmers are being killed. They happen to be white, but whether they&#8217;re white or black makes no difference to me. But white farmers are being brutally killed and their land is being confiscated in South Africa, and the newspapers and the television media doesn&#8217;t even talk about it.”
The president mentioned that the United States may choose to skip the upcoming G20 summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in November unless the South African government takes steps to stop the persecution.
The refugee policy sparked questions of race, since the persecuted Afrikaners are white and targeted because of their race.
“I don&#8217;t care who they are. I don&#8217;t care about their race, their color. I don&#8217;t care about their height, their weight. I don&#8217;t care about anything,” Trump said. “I just know that what&#8217;s happening is terrible. I have people that live in South Africa. They say it&#8217;s a terrible situation taking place, so we&#8217;ve essentially extended citizenship to those people to escape from that violence and come here.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
President Trump on giving refugee status to South Africans: &quot;It&#39;s a genocide. White Farmers are being brutally killed and their land is being confiscated. And the media doesn&#39;t even talk about it. If it were the other way around, that would be the only story they talk about.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/YMP2QhYgzt">pic.twitter.com/YMP2QhYgzt</a>
&mdash; TheBlaze (@theblaze) <a href="https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/1921942595325895138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Trump’s comments in a <a href="https://x.com/secrubio/status/1921990312999735528" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X: “​​The South African government has treated these people terribly — threatening to steal their private land and subjected them to vile racial discrimination. The Trump Administration is proud to offer them refuge in our great country.”
The South African government has denied that white farmers are being persecuted.
“They can’t provide any proof of any persecution because there’s not any,” said Ronald Lamola, the country’s international relations and cooperation minister, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/05/12/afrikaner-refugees-arrive-dulles-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>. “There is not any form of persecution to white South Africans.”
The U.S. president suspended aid to South Africa in February. In the executive order directing the action, Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/addressing-egregious-actions-of-the-republic-of-south-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> the South African government of “fueling” violence against white landowners and legislating “to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.”
Trump ally Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, has <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1886321811937189902" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that his former home has “openly racist ownership laws.”

Trump Rips Critics Of South African Refugee Policy: ‘It’s A Terrible Thing That’s Taking Place’

State Department

The Episcopal Church’s refugee resettlement organization refused to resettle white South African refugees, citing a commitment to “racial justice.”
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe <a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-refugees-white-afrikaners-us-trump-52024f6d86fca76cfe7460a9f9bc6110">announced</a> the decision on behalf of Episcopal Migration Ministries on Monday, just a day after 49 South Africans began their journey to the United States.
“In light of our church’s steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we are not able to take this step,” Rowe announced after the government contacted Episcopal Migration Ministries requesting assistance in resettling the South African refugees.
Rowe went on to say that the organization, which has a long history of receiving federal grants to resettle refugees, will terminate their agreements with the government. “We have determined that, by the end of the federal fiscal year, we will conclude our refugee resettlement grant agreements with the U.S. federal government.”
President Donald Trump extended refugee status to white South Africans amid concerns that the minority group is being subjected to racial discrimination and has been scapegoated by politicians who’ve called for violence against them.
“South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY,” Trump said in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113936851614563699">post</a> on Truth Social in February. “It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see.”
The Trump administration announced an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/addressing-egregious-actions-of-the-republic-of-south-africa/">executive order</a> just days later, offering white South Africans refugee status in the United States. The administration cited “hateful rhetoric and government actions fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners,” as well as a new law that will “enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.”
Controversy erupted after Julius Malema, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa, chanted &#8220;shoot to kill&#8221; and “kill the boer” at a political rally in reference to the Dutch South African population.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
South Africa&#8217;s Julius Malema, the party leader of the EFF calls for killing white people:
&#8220;Shoot to kiII. KiII the Boer, the farmer&#8221;<a href="https://t.co/vFjqJ9l8GR">pic.twitter.com/vFjqJ9l8GR</a> <a href="https://t.co/sxzS0d0Dn4">https://t.co/sxzS0d0Dn4</a>
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1903420572391907834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the Trump administration’s decision to offer refugee status to white South Africans in a <a href="https://x.com/secrubio/status/1921990312999735528?s=46&amp;t=ghpHusspWPjTMisXwpsMaA">post</a> on X on Monday.
“The South African government has treated these people terribly — threatening to steal their private land and subjected them to vile racial discrimination,” Rubio said. “The Trump Administration is proud to offer them refuge in our great country.”

Boer Protest

Episcopal Church Refuses To Resettle White South African Refugees, Citing ‘Racial Justice’ Commitment

Episcopal Church

The Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for all Afghan refugees on Monday, paving the way for the deportation of tens of thousands of Afghans living in the United States.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/dhs-terminating-temporary-protected-status-for-afghanistan#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%93%20Secretary%20of%20Homeland%20Security,effective%20on%20July%2012%2C%202025." target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that improving conditions in Afghanistan have made it possible for the refugees to return home. The Biden administration brought in around 76,000 Afghans following the U.S. military&#8217;s disastrous withdrawal from the country in 2021 under the orders of President Joe Biden. Most of the Afghan refugees were <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghan-evacuees-resettled-us-texas-california-virginia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resettled</a> in Texas, California, and Virginia.
&#8220;This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent,&#8221; Noem said. &#8220;We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation. Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country.&#8221;
Following the Trump administration&#8217;s move, deportation protections for Afghans will expire in 60 days, which is the minimum time allowed by law after the notice is filed.
Between 2010 and 2022, the Afghan population in the United States skyrocketed from 54,000 to 195,000. It&#8217;s unclear how many of those nearly 200,000 Afghans received legal permanent residency or citizenship in the United States. In 2006, the United States <a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/afghan-immigrants-united-states-2022#:~:text=In%20the%20past%20decade%2C%20the,top%20country%20for%20Afghan%20migrants." target="_blank" rel="noopener">started</a> the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, which sought to help Afghan and Iraqi translators who helped the U.S. military receive their green cards. The federal government expanded the SIV program in 2009 to apply to any Afghan national who was employed by the U.S. government.
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August of 2021 created another crisis for Afghan nationals who sought to quickly flee the country. Immediately after the United States evacuated Afghanistan, the country came under the control of the Taliban, which imposed harsh laws targeting Christians, certain Muslims, and those who were friendly toward the United States. The Taliban also took away any semblance of women&#8217;s rights, severely restricting how women dress and act in public.
Noem&#8217;s reasoning for ending TPS for Afghans cited Chinese tourism returning to the country and reduced warfare. Some remain <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/president-trump-protect-christian-afghan-refugees-who-fled-here-escape-martyrdom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concerned</a>, however, that religious minorities who are forced to return to Afghanistan will face persecution or even martyrdom.
Afghanistan also continues to face widespread food insecurity, but Noem wrote in her <a href="https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-08201.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a>, &#8220;Though humanitarian need remains prevalent, the number of those in need of assistance has declined to 23.7 million this year, a decrease from the more than 29 million Afghan nationals in need reported the previous year.&#8221;

Kristi Noem

Trump Admin Ends Deportation Protections For Tens Of Thousands More Refugees

Deportations

Vice President JD Vance slammed left-leaning host Margaret Brennan during an interview that aired on Sunday for claiming that Afghan refugees who were admitted into the U.S. under former President Joe Biden were &#8220;vetted.&#8221;
Vance made the remarks during an appearance on the network&#8217;s &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; show.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t agree that all these immigrants, or all these refugees have been properly vetted,&#8221; Vance said. &#8220;In fact, we know that there are cases of people who allegedly were properly vetted and then were literally planning terrorist attacks in our country.&#8221;
&#8220;That happened during the campaign, if you may remember,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;So, clearly, not all of these foreign nationals have been properly vetted.&#8221;
&#8220;My primary concern as the vice president, Margaret, is to look after the American people,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And now that we know that we have vetting problems with a lot of these refugee programs, we absolutely cannot unleash thousands of unvetted people into our country. It&#8217;s not good.&#8221;
Brennan then falsely claimed that all of the Afghan migrants were &#8220;vetted.&#8221;
&#8220;These people are vetted,&#8221; she claimed. &#8220;These people are vetted.&#8221;
Vance responded: &#8220;Just like the guy who planned a terrorist attack in Oklahoma a few months ago? He was allegedly properly vetted, and many people in the media and the Democratic Party said that he was properly vetted. Clearly, he wasn&#8217;t.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t want my children to share a neighborhood with people who are not properly vetted,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And because I don&#8217;t want it for my kids, I&#8217;m not going to force any other American citizens&#8217; kids to do that either.&#8221;
Brennan then tried to argue that the terrorist could have been radicalized in the U.S. so it may not have mattered whether he was vetted.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t really care, Margaret,&#8221; Vance responded. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want that person in my country, and I think most Americans agree with me.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Vice President <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> utterly embarrasses CBS and <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> on the unvetted migrants that Biden allowed into our country 🔥☠️
Margaret Brennan: &#8220;These people are vetted!&#8221;
VP Vance: &#8220;Just like the guy who planned a terrorist attack in Oklahoma a few months ago?&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/IeA8qsklTR">pic.twitter.com/IeA8qsklTR</a>
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) <a href="https://twitter.com/Surabees/status/1883546663148724714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></blockquote>

Vice President-Elect JD Vance Visits “Fox News Sunday”

JD Vance Blasts Margaret Brennan Over Claim Afghan Refugees Let Into U.S. Are ‘Vetted’

JD Vance

The Trump State Department has ordered a stop to flights transporting refugees who had been approved to emigrate to the United States.
On Monday, President Donald Trump issued an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/realigning-the-united-states-refugee-admissions-program/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). The statement from the White House declared, “Over the last 4 years, the United States has been inundated with record levels of migration, including through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). &#8230; The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees.  This order suspends the USRAP until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States.”
“Within 90 days of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit a report to the President through the Homeland Security Advisor regarding whether resumption of entry of refugees into the United States under the USRAP would be in the interests of the United States,” the executive order added.
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“The U.S. agency overseeing refugee processing and arrival told staff and stakeholders that ‘refugee arrival to the United States have been suspended until further notice,’” the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/refugees-flights-trump-immigration-border-resettlement-33ebaa34bc4d0c069a22ee7aa5f8ff6d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“Over 3.6 million refugees have entered the US since 1975 — more than the population of Utah,” <a href="https://x.com/USAFacts/status/1829179760141901911">USA Facts</a> noted. “After hitting a 40-year annual low of 11,411 during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, over 60,000 refugees entered the country in 2023, the most since 2016. By June 30, 2024, the annual total had already eclipsed that at 68,000.”
In 2021, at the end of his first term, President Trump implemented a limit of 15,000 incoming refugees with restrictions on refugees from countries such as Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, but soon after that, in April 2021, former President Biden threw those restrictions out and raised the limit to 62,500 per year, later raising that number to 125,000 per year.

Arrival Departue Board

State Department Stops Flights Bringing Refugees To U.S.: Report

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