President Donald Trump‘s administration is asserting its right not to be “evenhanded” on the demographics of foreigners it allows into the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared Tuesday before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) pressed him on the White House’s recent decision to extend refugee status to Afrikaners while widely suspending such programs for other groups.

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“Should we try to do [refugee programs] in an evenhanded way?” Kaine asked Rubio. “For example, if you’re persecuted on the grounds of your religion, we’ll let you in if you’re a Christian but not if you’re a Muslim?”

“I think the United States has a right to allow into this country and prioritize allowance of who they want to come in,” Rubio responded, asserting that the Afrikaners are “afraid for their lives” and have a solid basis for consideration. “Our foreign policy doesn’t require evenhandedness; it requires prioritizing the interests of the United States.”

Trump extended the opportunity for refugee status to white South African citizens in his Feb. 7 executive order titled “Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa.”

Last week, the first wave of Afrikaners, 54 in total, arrived at Dulles airport outside Washington, D.C.

It was a major break from the norm for Trump, who effectively shut down the United States Refugee Admissions Program until further notice with an executive order on his first day in office.

During the committee meeting, Kaine took issue with the idea that specific demographics of foreigners can be prioritized over others, saying that people are “entitled to entrance as a refugee if you demonstrate a well-justified fear of persecution.”

He then asked Rubio if discriminating among refugees based on the color of their skin would be acceptable, criticizing the administration for offering a unique “easy pass” into the country for the first time.

“You’re the one that’s talking about the color of their skin, not me,” Rubio responded. “If there is a subset of people who are easier to vet, who we have a better understanding of who they are and what they’re going to do when they come here, they’re gonna receive preference. No doubt about it.”

RUBIO SAYS PEOPLE SHOULD BE ‘CELEBRATING’ US WELCOMING SOUTH AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS

The Trump administration has designated the trend of violence and crime committed against Afrikaners as a “genocide.”

Racial tensions trouble South Africa following the end of apartheid policies in 1993, which had extended broader rights and privileges to white citizens than black citizens.

There is documentation of brutal crimes committed against Afrikaners, especially land-owning farmers, but the South African government considers such instances as part of a larger violent crime problem.