Latest news with #racially
a day ago
- Politics
Thousands of Afghans face possible deportation after court refuses to extend their legal protection
Thousands of Afghans in the U.S. are no longer protected from deportation after a federal appeals court refused to postpone the Trump administration's decision to end their legal status. A three-judge panel of the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia said in a ruling late Monday there was 'insufficient evidence to warrant the extraordinary remedy of a postponement" of the administration's decision not to extend Temporary Protected Status for people from Afghanistan and Cameroon. TPS for Afghans ended July 14, but was briefly extended by the appeals court through July 21 while it considered an emergency request for a longer postponement. The Department of Homeland Security in May said it was ending Temporary Protected Status for 11,700 people from Afghanistan in 60 days. That status — in place since 2022 — had allowed them to work and meant the government couldn't deport them. CASA, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy group, sued the administration over the TPS revocation for Afghans as well as for people from Cameroon, which expire August 4. It said the decisions were racially motivated. A federal judge allowed the lawsuit to go forward but didn't grant CASA's request to keep the protections in place while the lawsuit plays out. A phone message for CASA on Tuesday was not immediately returned. Without an extension, TPS holders from Afghanistan and Cameroon face a 'devastating choice -abandoning their homes, relinquishing their employment, and uprooting their lives to return to a country where they face the threat of severe physical harm or even death, or remaining in the United States in a state of legal uncertainty while they wait for other immigration processes to play out," CASA warned in court documents. In its decision on Monday, the appeals court said CASA had made a 'plausible' legal claim against the administration, and urged the lower court to move the case forward expeditiously. It also said many of the TPS holders from the two countries may be eligible for other legal protections that remain available to them. Temporary Protected Status can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary to people who face safety concerns in their home countries because of armed conflict, environmental disaster or other conditions. They can't be deported and can work legally in the U.S., but they don't have a pathway to citizenship. The status, however, is inherently precarious because it is up to the Homeland Security secretary to renew the protections regularly — usually every 18 months. The Trump administration has pushed to remove Temporary Protected Status from people from seven countries, with Venezuela and Haiti making up the biggest chunk of the hundreds of thousands of people affected. Homeland Security officials said in their decision to end the Temporary Protected Status for Afghans that the situation in their home country was getting better.
Powys County Times
04-07-2025
- Powys County Times
Boy's sentence for killing 80-year-old Bhim Kohli to be reviewed
The sentence handed to a teenage boy convicted of killing an 80-year-old man who was filmed being attacked, slapped in the face with a shoe and racially abused while walking his dog will be reviewed by the Court of Appeal. Bhim Kohli called out for help when he was attacked in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on September 1 last year. He died the next day with a spinal cord injury and fractured ribs. Last month, Mr Justice Turner sentenced a boy, aged 15, who punched and kicked Mr Kohli, to seven years in custody, and a 13-year-old girl, who encouraged the attack by filming parts of it while laughing, to a three-year youth rehabilitation order. Both children, who cannot be named because of their age, denied their crimes but were convicted by a jury at Leicester Crown Court. A spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office said the case will be reviewed under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. The spokesperson said in a statement: 'The Solicitor General, Lucy Rigby KC MP, was appalled by this violent, cowardly attack on an innocent man. 'She wishes to express her deepest sympathies to Bhim Kohli's friends and family at this difficult time. 'After undertaking a detailed review of the case, the Solicitor General concluded the sentence of the 15-year-old boy could be referred to the Court of Appeal. 'The court will determine if the sentence is increased or not.' Mr Kohli's daughter spoke of feeling 'angry and disappointed', adding that she believes their sentences do not 'reflect the severity of the crime they committed'. In a statement after the sentencing hearing, Susan Kohli said: 'When they are released, they still have their full lives ahead of them. They can rebuild their lives. We can't.' Mid Leicestershire MP Peter Bedford and the MP for South Leicestershire, Alberto Costa, wrote to the AGO last month asking for the sentences to be reviewed. It is understood the sentence of the 13-year-old girl will not be referred to the Court of Appeal as the threshold had not been met. A six-week trial heard that Mr Kohli's children found him lying on the ground in agony when he told his daughter that he had been called a 'P***' during the attack. The boy said in his evidence he had a 'tussle' with Mr Kohli over his slider shoe before he slapped the elderly man with it out of 'instinct', which caused the pensioner to fall to his knees, but denied kicking or punching him. In a letter written by the boy to a woman who had worked with him at the residential unit where he was being looked after, he wrote: 'I f****** hate what I did. I regret it so much. 'I have flashbacks of that day and it just upsets me. I kinda just needed anger etc releasing.' The girl had filmed a series of video clips in which the elderly man was hit with the shoe by the balaclava-clad boy and another where Mr Kohli lay motionless on the ground. She was heard laughing in the video clips which she kept in a passcode protected Snapchat folder. In his sentencing remarks last month, Mr Justice Turner said: 'I am sure Mr Kohli did nothing at all to deserve what you did. What you did was wicked. 'You made a cowardly and violent attack on an elderly man.'
IOL News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Black Lawyers Association demands more than an apology from Judge Mokgoatlheng
Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng has apologised over racially charged comments he made when one of the advocates requested to miss court to run the Comrades marathon. Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers AN apology alone, is not good enough, the Black Lawyers Association (BLA) said in response to Presiding judge in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Ratha Mokgoatlheng's apology on Monday following his court outburst where he made several remarks with racial undertones. Last week, Judge Mokgoatlheng expressed outrage in court after learning that defence advocate Charles Mnisi had written to his registrar, requesting to be excused from proceedings on Monday to participate in the Comrades Marathon. "This is what happens in a South Africa run by blacks. I can tell you now, even if you call Uncle Tom, I don't think a white advocate will ever have the gall to ask me that. Never," he said. The BLA did not take the comments lightly, calling out Judge Mokgoatlheng for launching 'an extremely unfortunate attack on black lawyers'. They gave him seven days to withdraw his comments, threatening further action if he failed to do so. 'What the Judge might not be aware of is that the attacks on black lawyers are not only distasteful but threaten our economic survival as law is our business. We strongly reject the assertion made by Judge Mokgoatlheng that seeks to compare black and white lawyers in the carrying out of their duties, especially in court. What is indisputable is that black lawyers are extremely capable, excellent and high level professionals. Our democratic set up has no place for the kind of Presiding Judge Mokgoatlheng represents,' the BLA said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ As the court session resumed on Monday, the judge made a public apology. "There is one thing I must attend to, all of us I am sure we read newspapers. It is proper that I should address this issue. Initially I want to say, I have been 26 years on the bench, as an acting judge, and as a judge. I have never ever behaved the way I did (on Thursday). I have been 30 years as an attorney before I became a judge," the judge addressed those in court. "I spoke to the JP (judge president) and the JP spoke to me together with the DJP. The JP rightfully excoriated me for my conduct, that it is not befitting of a judge of my experience and my stature that I should have behaved like I did. And I agree, my conduct was questionable and incorrect. My wife also, who I thought is afraid of me, told me that I should apologise to the whole of South Africa because I am worse than the attorneys who apparently steal the monies of clients in the RAF (Road Accident Fund) matter. She was reading the newspaper the other day about the fact that attorneys apparently (steal from clients) and they are colourless, they stole about R1.5 billion of RAF funds which belong to clients,' the judge said. Judge Mokgoatlheng said he wished to tender his "sincerest" apologies because the way he had behaved was contrary to his nature. In response to Judge Mokgoatlheng's apology, the BLA said while it was welcomed, it was not good enough given the severity of what was said. The BLA planned to reach out to call for further engagement on the issue. 'We welcome (the apology) but there must be a deeper conversation about what the judge has raised. Maybe we are not understanding the context. I personally want to understand how he thinks in terms of the issues of black lawyers. Once you start questioning the ability of practitioners on the basis of skin colour, you are raising a different topic altogether. I don't want to assume he is saying he does not trust in the abilities of black lawyers because there are exceptional legal minds out there, including him who is a judge today. He can't be casting aspersions on himself, that's why I'm saying a deeper conversation is needed,' BLA secretary general, Takalani Chris Mamathuntsha said.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
More white South Africans resettle in US after Trump fast-tracks ‘refugee program'
A second group of white South Africans has arrived in the United States as part of a refugee programme initiated by the Trump administration, according to officials and advocacy groups. Jaco Kleynhans, head of international liaison at the Solidarity Movement, which represents South Africa's white Afrikaner minority, confirmed that nine individuals, including families and children, arrived late last week via a commercial flight. A US Embassy spokesperson told reporters via email that "refugees continue to arrive in the United States from South Africa on commercial flights as part of the Afrikaner resettlement program's ongoing operations." This follows an initial group of 59 white South Africans who arrived at Dulles International Airport in Virginia last month on a chartered flight. The resettlement programme was announced by US President Donald Trump in February, with his administration expediting the process for white South Africans while suspending other US refugee programmes indefinitely. The Trump administration said it is offering refugee status to white South Africans it alleges are being persecuted by their Black-led government and are victims of racially motivated violence. The South African government has denied the allegations and said they are a mischaracterization of the country. Trump has falsely claimed that white South African farmers are targeted in widespread attacks that amount to genocide and are having their land taken away. Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with those baseless claims during a meeting at the White House last month. Ramaphosa has said the relatively small number of attacks on white farmers are part of South Africa's larger problems with violent crime, which affects all races. The Trump administration initially said the refugee program was aimed at members of South Africa's Afrikaner minority, who are descendants of mainly Dutch and French colonial settlers. In new guidance published by the US Embassy last month, applicants must be 'a member of a racial minority' in South Africa and 'must be able to articulate a past experience of persecution or fear of future persecution.' There are approximately 2.7 million Afrikaners among South Africa's population of 62 million, which is more than 80% Black. They are not the only white minority. There are around 4.5 million whites in total, including those with British or other heritage. The US Embassy spokesperson said the US 'continues to review inquiries from individuals who have expressed interest to the embassy in resettling to the United States and is reaching out to eligible individuals for refugee interviews and processing." While US officials have not said how many South Africans have applied to be relocated, Kleynhans said there have been around 8,000 applications. Another group helping white South Africans apply for refugee status has said tens of thousands have applied.
Daily Maverick
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Rhetoric vs reality — Trump touts himself as peacemaker, but actions against SA suggest otherwise
The highly anticipated, drama-packed bilateral meeting between presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Donald Trump at the White House on 21 May 2025 marked a critical juncture in the already deteriorating relations between South Africa and the US. Strained by a controversial executive order and differing views on violent crime, the meeting offered both leaders a chance to reset relations and find common ground. For Trump, it was also an opportunity to reinforce his image as a global peacemaker, though his confrontational approach raises doubts about this label. Executive order: Confrontation over collaboration On 7 February 2025, just 18 days into his second term, Trump signed the Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa executive order. Aimed at countering alleged human rights violations tied to South Africa's Expropriation Act, the order halts US aid, including Pepfar and USAID programmes, and promotes the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees fleeing 'racially motivated violence'. The US has already resettled 49 Afrikaners, with plans to accelerate and expand this initiative. South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation issued a statement on 8 February 2025 condemning the executive order as historically tone deaf and factually unfounded. It accused the Trump administration of ignoring South Africa's efforts at what it deems racial reconciliation and undermining its domestic legal processes. With the executive order as the backdrop, the White House meeting was expected to be less a diplomatic routine than a high-stakes political confrontation. Violent crime and divergent narratives The meeting's focus was violent crime in South Africa, particularly against white farmers. One week prior to the meeting, Trump controversially labelled the violence 'a slow genocide'. In the Oval Office, he presented Ramaphosa with a compilation of news articles, and a video of EFF leader Julius Malema chanting 'kill the Boer'. This set the agenda for the meeting, and other issues that may seem important for a bilateral meeting at this high-level such as trade, investment, tariffs and the G20 were set aside. The White House posted the video to its official X account, captioned: 'JUST SHOWN IN THE OVAL OFFICE: Proof of Persecution in South Africa.' Ramaphosa argued that crime is a national crisis affecting all South Africans, black and white alike, not a race-specific, state-sponsored campaign. The clash between the two leaders revealed not just disagreement over facts, but over the very lens through which crime, race and governance are interpreted. Peacemaking or performance? Trump used the meeting to reiterate his global peacemaking credentials, citing his mediation efforts in Ukraine and between India and Pakistan. When asked about his message to Africa ahead of Africa Day on 25 May, he shared a vision of 'peace, happiness and health', citing US mediation between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo as evidence of his commitment. However, Trump's actions towards South Africa, such as suspending aid, amplifying racially charged narratives and promoting a shambolic refugee pipeline, deviates from traditional diplomatic peacemaking efforts. Rather than offering Ramaphosa tools for crime prevention or cooperative law enforcement assistance, Trump adopted a posture of exposure. 'You know the beauty of exposing it (farm murders) is it's like a cleansing action. When it gets exposed, it'll get fixed. That's when it'll get fixed. But people don't talk about it,' Trump said during the meeting in front of the media. Whether a popular approach or not, his intent was to address violent crime in South Africa, telling Ramaphosa: 'I want you to look good, I don't want you to look bad.' Polarisation as strategy Trump's approach aligns less with classic peacemaking than with coercive diplomacy, where pressure and public shaming are used to alter state behaviour. But such tactics carry the risk of deepening diplomatic estrangement. Ramaphosa, referencing Nelson Mandela's teachings, urged 'sitting around the table and talking about it', pointing to dialogue rather than denunciation as the path forward. The question, then, is whether this highly public confrontation will serve as a catalyst for domestic reform or simply entrench existing polarities. There is a real danger that Trump's framing could polarise South African society and international observers alike. The limits of performative peacemaking The Trump-Ramaphosa meeting revealed both the fragility and potential of US-South Africa relations. While it succeeded in spotlighting violent crime as a serious issue, it failed to foster a collaborative framework for addressing it. Trump's rhetoric suggests a leader keen on global recognition as a problem solver, but his method of being confrontational, racially selective and domestically performative may undercut that ambition. Whether South Africa receives this moment as a wake-up call or a provocation will depend on Ramaphosa's next move. If he chooses dialogue over defensiveness, there may yet be room for progress. But if Trump's brand of peacemaking continues to prioritise visibility over mutuality, the legacy may be one of polarisation rather than peace. DM
