The Episcopal Church is refusing to help the Trump administration resettle white South African “refugees,” ending a decades-long collaboration with the U.S. government on refugee resettlement.
The church’s Episcopal Migration Ministries have historically worked with the government via grants to resettle refugees fleeing persecution.
“In light of our church’s steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we are not able to take this step. Accordingly, we have determined that, by the end of the federal fiscal year, we will conclude our refugee resettlement grant agreements with the U.S. federal government,” said Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, in a statement on Monday.
This comes as 49 Afrikaners arrived in the United States on Monday as “refugees.” President Trump gave them priority status, which means they waited no more than three months for their resettlement. Many refugees from other countries are forced to wait 18 to 24 months, and sometimes even years, for their resettlement assignment. Trump banned virtually all other refugees on his first day in office, including people fleeing active war zones like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and others.
White South Africans have made unsubstantiated claims of reverse racism and genocide, which have been echoed by Trump.
“It’s a genocide that’s taking place. Farmers are being killed. They happen to be white,” he said on Monday.
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