Hate in the White House: February 2018

The following is a timeline of instances of extremism in the Trump administration in February 2018.

President Trump has opened the White House doors to extremism, not only consulting with hate groups on policies that erode our country’s civil rights protections but enabling the infiltration of extremist ideas into the administration’s rhetoric and agenda.

Once relegated to the fringes, the radical right now has a toehold in the White House.

Groups and individuals referenced in the list below are not associated with hate groups and extremist ideology unless indicated by a hate group profile.

Anti-Muslim

Feb 1

Trump administration announces Muslim basher as nominee for director general of the UN’s International Organization for Migration

Read our blog post

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2015/10/06/american-and-european-radical-right%E2%80%99s-attacks-refugees-fueled-anti-muslim-sentiment

Read our blog post

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2015/11/20/%E2%80%98people-are-going-die%E2%80%99-sean-hannity-hosts-anti-muslim-extremists-spew-falsehoods

Read the news story

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/trump-nominee-for-un-migration-post-called-muslims-violent-christians-top-priority/2018/02/03/a1c99c50-0851-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5_story.html?utm_term=.6cdaf10caa8a

Anti-Black

Feb 1

Trump administration strips Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of power to investigate racial discrimination

Read our statement

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/10/05/splc-cfpb-rule-protects-low-income-borrowers

Read the legal document

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2016/08/23/splc-backs-consumer-protection-rule-restricting-forced-arbitration

Read the news story

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2018/02/01/trump-administration-strips-consumer-watchdog-office-of-enforcement-powers-against-financial-firms-in-lending-discrimination-cases/?utm_campaign=03f255f358-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_19_2018&utm_medium=email&utm_source=WTF%20Just%20Happened%20Today%3F&utm_term=.c219d4ab5699

Anti-Muslim

Feb 3

Department of Homeland Security report calls for surveillance of Sunni Muslims

Read our testimony

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2016/06/28/splc-president-urges-congress-not-ignore-terrorism-radical-right

Read our statement

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/12/08/congress-must-act-combat-white-supremacist-threat-%E2%80%93-trump-won%E2%80%99t

Read the news story

http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/05/draft-dhs-report-surveillance-of-muslim-immigrants/

Anti-Immigrant

Feb 6

Chief of Staff John Kelly says DREAMers "were too lazy to get off their asses"

Read our statement

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/09/05/splc-statement-president-trump%E2%80%99s-decision-rescind-daca

Read our annotation

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/09/06/president-trumps-daca-statement-annotated

Read the news story

http://theweek.com/speedreads/753602/john-kelly-dismisses-some-dreamers-lazy-asses

Anti-Immigrant

Feb 8

Trump adminstration considers targeting immigrants who use food aid and other benefits

Read our factsheet

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2010/getting-immigration-facts-straight

Read our blog post

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/spring-2011/ten-myths-about-immigration

Read the news story

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-services-exclusive/exclusive-trump-administration-may-target-immigrants-who-use-food-aid-other-benefits-idUSKBN1FS2ZK?utm_source=WTF+Just+Happened+Today%3F&utm_campaign=5cafc17692-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_19_2018&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9813b73b1a-5cafc17692-168813017

Anti-LGBT

Feb 12

Department of Education announces that it will reject transgender student bathroom complaints

Read our statement

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/02/22/splc-statement-trump-administration-ending-federal-protection-transgender-students

Read our report

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2016/%E2%80%98bathroom-bill%E2%80%99-debates-heat-transgender-people-die

Read the news story

https://www.buzzfeed.com/dominicholden/edu-dept-trans-student-bathrooms?utm_term=.mmk5Vv4O4#.eaBqjVoao

Anti-Black

Feb 12

Thomas Brunell, who has history of defending voter suppression and racial gerrymandering, withdraws from consideration to be deputy director of the U.S. Census Bureau

Read our commentary

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/02/01/systematic-voter-suppression-%E2%80%94-not-voter-fraud-%E2%80%94-real-cause-concern

Read our profile

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2014/11/02/alabama-woman-94-reflects-poll-taxes-literacy-tests-and-new-efforts-limit-voting-0

Read the news story

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/02/trumps-controversial-pick-to-run-the-2020-census-withdraws/?utm_source=WTF+Just+Happened+Today%3F&utm_campaign=f26ce41b1d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_19_2018&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9813b73b1a-f26ce41b1d-168813017

Anti-Immigrant

Feb 13

Second judge blocks Trump administration from ending DACA

Read our statement

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/09/05/splc-statement-president-trump%E2%80%99s-decision-rescind-daca

Read our annotation

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/09/06/president-trumps-daca-statement-annotated

Read the news story

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/373680-second-judge-issues-injunction-barring-trump-administration-from?utm_source=WTF+Just+Happened+Today%3F&utm_campaign=8648c5d4fb-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_19_2018&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9813b73b1a-8648c5d4fb-168813017

Anti-Immigrant

Feb 14

State Department prepares to close 20 refugee resettlement agencies and tells 40 others to cut back operations

Read our statement

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/05/31/splc-alabama-does-right-thing-drops-appeal-refugee-resettlement-suit

Read our blog post

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2015/09/24/idaho-town-divided-fears-over-refugees-sharia-law

Read the news story

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-refugees-exclusive/exclusive-dozens-of-refugee-resettlement-offices-to-close-as-trump-downsizes-program-idUSKCN1FY1EJ?utm_source=WTF+Just+Happened+Today%3F&utm_campaign=d6a2d26ecc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_19_2018&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9813b73b1a-d6a2d26ecc-168813017

Anti-Immigrant

Feb 15

Jessica Vaughn, representative of anti-immigrant hate group CIS, testifies before the House Immigration Subcommittee

Read our blog post

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/02/14/jessica-vaughan-staffer-anti-immigrant-hate-group-center-immigration-studies-cis-testify

Read our hate group profile

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/center-immigration-studies

Read the news story

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/politics/a-denver-city-ordinance-takes-center-stage-on-capitol-hill

Anti-Muslim

Feb 15

Federal appeals court rules Trump administration's travel ban unlawfully discriminates against Muslims

Read our statement

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/09/25/splc-statement-president-trumps-third-muslim-ban

Read about our investigation

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/03/24/splc-lawsuit-latest-muslim-ban-unconstitutional-harms-families-and-others

Read the news story

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-immigration/u-s-court-says-trump-travel-ban-unlawfully-discriminates-against-muslims-idUSKCN1FZ23U?utm_source=WTF+Just+Happened+Today%3F&utm_campaign=80b260d9c0-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_19_2018&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9813b73b1a-80b260d9c0-168813017

Anti-Muslim

Feb 20

Senior Department of Health and Human Services official placed on leave for promoting conspiracy theories

Read our blog post

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2016/08/02/anti-muslim-movement-divided-around-trump%E2%80%99s-attacks-khan-family

Read our blog post

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/02/13/politicians-anti-muslim-leaders-urge-trump-designate-muslim-brotherhood-terrorist

Read the news story

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/20/politics/kfile-hhs-social-media-postings/index.html?utm_source=WTF+Just+Happened+Today%3F&utm_campaign=f5ff32e067-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_19_2018&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9813b73b1a-f5ff32e067-168813017

Radical Right

Feb 22

Donald Trump Jr. likes conspiracy theory tweets about Parkland shooting

Read our blog post

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/02/23/crisis-actors-conspiracy-theory-spreads-across-radical-right

Read our report

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2015/10/27/new-intelligence-report-focuses-conspiracy-theories-mainstream

Read the news story

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/trump-jr-ripped-liking-conspiracy-theories-parkland-survivors/story?id=53265618&utm_source=WTF+Just+Happened+Today%3F&utm_campaign=ee292d2007-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_19_2018&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9813b73b1a-ee292d2007-168813017

Anti-Immigrant

Feb 22

USCIS changes mission statement to remove phrase referring to America "as a nation of immigrants"

Read our factsheet

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2010/getting-immigration-facts-straight

Read our blog post

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/spring-2011/ten-myths-about-immigration

Read the news story

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/22/us/uscis-nation-of-immigrants.html?emc=edit_nn_20180223&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=72884866&te=1

Anti-Immigrant

Feb 23

President Trump compares immigrants to snakes at CPAC

Read our blog post

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/02/26/racists-roam-halls-cpac-and-conservative-conference-ends-controversy-over-racist-comments

Read our factsheet

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2010/getting-immigration-facts-straight

Read the news story

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/23/17044744/trump-snake-speech-cpac

Radical Right

Feb 24

President Trump retweets Sandy Hook conspiracy theorists

Read our report

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2015/10/27/new-intelligence-report-focuses-conspiracy-theories-mainstream

Read our blog post

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/02/23/crisis-actors-conspiracy-theory-spreads-across-radical-right

Read the news story

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2018/02/24/trump-just-retweeted-a-fringe-radio-host-who-has-attacked-the-florida-school-shooting-survivors/?utm_term=.10ca8ff90667

Anti-Immigrant

Feb 24

President Trump makes inaccurate, misleading statements about diversity visa lottery system

Read our annotation

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2018/01/11/annotated-white-house-justification-president-trumps-racist-remarks

Read our blog post

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/01/31/anti-immigrant-groups-decry-trump%E2%80%99s-amnesty-plan-have-pushed-many-its-tenets-decades

Read the news story

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2018/02/26/president-trumps-consistent-misrepresentation-of-how-the-diversity-visa-lottery-works/?utm_term=.2b74449874d1

March 2018

/hate-white-house-—-march

January 2018

https://www.splcenter.org/hate-white-house-january