Donald Trump has a very low opinion of people of color. His words have made it clear that he has a very different standard for measuring people he sees as other than himself. His prejudice spewed all over the nation—all over the world—this week, but what other harm has it done to the United States?
The acting assistant secretary of the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Simon Henshaw, has felt Trump’s impact. He has been the one who deals with refugee issues, but all is not well in that sector of the government. The U.S. diplomat has decided to leave his job within days. That makes him the third top official to either quit or move out of refugee work—in mere weeks.
Simon Henshaw’s full title is acting assistant secretary of the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. He told his coworkers via email that he was leaving his job at the end of next week.
He told Reuters that this was just a “routine professional move” and “unrelated” to Trump, but that is a little hard to believe. Perhaps, the diplomat was trying to not burn any bridges. Maybe, he was simply being diplomatic. A State Department spokesperson also said that this was a routine move. Regardless of the stated reason, something is seriously wrong where he works in U.S. refugee admissions.
The Trump administration has been recreating U.S. refugee admission policy. In just one year, the president has axed the number of refugees he will admit into the country. He even halted the refugee program totally for four months before implementing far stricter vetting requirements. Trump also ejected himself from a voluntary agreement dealing with global migration when he left the negotiation process.
Henshaw told Reuters that this had been his “longest assignment” since he began his work as a foreign service officer 33-years ago. The top diplomat said he is “used to moving on:”
‘It very honestly had to do with the fact that I’d felt I’d spent enough time. I‘m used to moving on every two or
three years.’
The diplomat sent an e-mail Saturday where he wrote:
‘In a world where the number of refugees and displaced persons continues to rise, I think we should all be proud (of) the good that we have done and the help that we have provided to so many.’
Henshaw was principal deputy assistant director from July 2013 until Trump named him acting assistant secretary when he took office. The deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Carol O’Connell, will take over the bureau on January 22, her State Department biography said.
Trump’s administration indicated on Tuesday it had re-assigned the head of the refugee admissions office at the State Department, Lawrence Bartlett, to another position within the department. Reuters reported that he would be handling Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
Chief of the Refugee Affairs Division at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Barbara Strack, announced this month that she planned to retire. Her position falls under the Department of Homeland Security.
Featured Image via Getty Images/Drew Angerer.
