Secretary of State Marco Rubio got into a heated verbal fistfight with Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine over allegations of racial bias in U.S. immigration policy on Tuesday. A particularly touchy part of the debate centers around the treatment of white Afrikaner farmers hailing from South Africa.
Kaine questioned the Trump administration’s choice to give priority to Afrikaner refugees. “Can you have a different standard based upon the color of somebody’s skin?”
Rubio, not missing a beat, immediately fired back, saying, “I’m not the one arguing that. Apparently, you are because you don’t like the fact that they’re white.”
The exchange between the two men shines a spotlight on the administration’s stance on the controversial land exploration policies of South Africa. Critics have ripped into these policies over their targeting of white farmers.
In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending aid to South Africa and promoting the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees in the United States, citing concerns over race-based discrimination.
