Washington, DC – The New York Times sparked a controversy when it published a traditional wedding announcement for Stephen Miller and Katie (Waldman) Miller. Given Miller’s connections to white supremacist groups and ideologies, many were outraged at the normalization of hate represented by this decision.
“Did The Times publish a puff piece about the marriage of David Duke to Chloe Hardin?” asked Faith Williams, Associate Director of Government Relations & Advocacy at the National Council on Jewish Women and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC). “Of course not. This is the same thing. Miller may represent the President’s thinking on race and immigration, but his views are deeply, intrinsically offensive to many Americans of all races and religions. Miller drives much of the administration’s harmful immigration policy. It is the duty of The New York Times and other papers to report the news. However, it is a tragic dereliction of this duty to publish a fawning, lightweight piece on the marriage of a man responsible for so much pain.”
Miller’s connection to white supremacist groups is a fact, not in question. Jewish lawmakers and heads of diverse faith-based organizations have been calling for the dismissal of Miller from his position inside the White House. NCJW CEO Sheila Katz and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz wrote in Newsweek, “white supremacy costs innocent lives. It is a threat that lurks just below the surface of modern society and must be exposed at every opportunity.” The New York Times took the opposite approach here.
“Trump’s announcement about deploying border agents to sanctuary cities is one sick wedding present to the Millers,” said Katie Adams, Domestic Policy Advocate for the United Church of Christ and IIC Co-Chair. “Trump and Miller are of a piece. Their goal is maximum pain, maximum cruelty, to try to turn back the demographic clock in America. Their policies are hate-filled and dehumanizing. The space used to print the article would better have been spent uplifting the lives, births, marriages, triumphs, and joys of the many migrant families who have come to the U.S. That would be something truly worth celebrating.”
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants.
Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
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