Advertisement
Tech

People defending Stephen Miller against white nationalist claim are missing the point

Being Jewish has nothing to do with it.

Photo of David Covucci

David Covucci

stephen miller white nationalist tweet

In wondering what led to the ouster of Homeland Security head Kristjen Nielsen on Sunday, numerous outlets saw the hand of Stephen Miller, the Trump White House’s hardliner on immigration.

Featured Video

And in response, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) tweeted what a lot of people have said about Miller. That he’s a white nationalist.

Advertisement

Miller has severely restrictive views on immigration and pushed policies that echo the feelings and desires of leading white nationalists, arguing for restrictive quotas on immigration while ramping up deportations.

But if you support Miller and his policies, which a number of conservatives do, calling him a “white nationalist” is an affront to both him and you.

So you have two options if you’re in that situation. Use Miller’s own policies and rhetoric to prove the claim is false. Or simply say he can’t be one because he’s Jewish.

Advertisement

Advertisement

https://twitter.com/AdamTrahan/status/1115365604121358336

Advertisement

https://twitter.com/Robbytheman777/status/1115401868136648707

Advertisement

That logic doesn’t really hold up. Just being Jewish doesn’t mean you can’t be a white nationalist. Miller hasn’t spoken about his faith, or his ethnicity, in a way that would show he’s somehow immune to white nationalist views or that they are anathema to him.

Numerous Jewish people have spoken out against his policies and did so again today. Other people just pointed to Trump’s immigration policy on our Southern border, which Miller is the architect of. If his faith has factored into it, it isn’t apparent to a lot of people.

Advertisement

Advertisement

However, Miller certainly is anti-immigration with a bias that tends to be applied toward Black and Brown people. He was once quoted in former Trump adviser Cliff Sims’ book saying, “I would be happy if not a single refugee foot ever again touched American soil.”

Not to mention, his words echo the sentiments of his boss, who once claimed he preferred immigrants from white nations.

Advertisement
 
The Daily Dot