For over 15 years, we’ve based our mission on one simple belief: every person fleeing conflict or persecution deserves the chance to rebuild their life with dignity. So yesterday’s decision to slash U.S. refugee admissions to just 7,500 people per year — the lowest in modern history — and prioritize Afrikaners is not only indefensible, it’s shameful.
This isn’t just a policy choice, it’s a moral failure. By elevating one group that is not facing widespread persecution and harm over the countless refugees from Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, Myanmar and numerous other countries who are living in camps or under threat, this administration is redefining compassion through the lens of race. Refugee protection should be grounded in need, not skin color.
At Prosperity Candle, we see the truth every day. The women artisans who pour your candles are survivors of war and displacement, welcomed to this country through federal and state refugee programs. They’ve endured unimaginable hardship and loss, yet continue to give back to their communities and to this country that offered them safety. They work hard, they pay taxes, and they follow the law. They are the most resilient and compassionate people we know.
To now see that door closing to families in desperate need while others who are not in imminent danger are ushered to the front of the line is disgraceful. It betrays the very spirit of humanitarianism that America once stood for. Refugee policy should never be an instrument of ideology. It should be a beacon of fairness and hope.
We stand with those still waiting in refugee camps and denied entry because of race, religion and ethnicity. True compassion doesn’t discriminate.
