Episcopal Church halts refugee partnership with feds over white South Africans

The Episcopal Church has halted a refugee resettlement program with the federal government over the prioritization of white South Africans while other populations see their immigration protections removed.

“Just over two weeks ago, the federal government informed Episcopal Migration Ministries that under the terms of our federal grant, we are expected to resettle white Afrikaners from South Africa whom the U.S. government has classified as refugees,” Presiding Bishop Sean W. Rowe said in a Monday letter.

“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,” Rowe added.

The State Department announced that the first group of white South Africans entered the U.S. on Monday. 

Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce asserted in a statement that the group was at risk and faced unjust racial discrimination in South Africa, saying taking them in was a move to safeguard victims of racial discrimination.

“No one should have to fear having their property seized without compensation or becoming the victim of violent attacks because of their ethnicity. In the coming months, we will continue to welcome more Afrikaner refugees and help them rebuild their lives in our great country,” Bruce said in her prior statement.

A South Africa foreign ministry spokesperson has ripped the Trump administration's prioritization of Afrikaners as “politically motivated.”

In February, President Trump signed an executive order in which he pushed his Cabinet to devise a resettlement program for Afrikaners who he said “are victims of unjust racial discrimination,” referencing a South African land law with an aim to fight against the country’s racist apartheid era.

“I want to be very clear about why we made this decision — and what we believe lies ahead for Episcopal Migration Ministries’ vital work. It has been painful to watch one group of refugees, selected in a highly unusual manner, receive preferential treatment over many others who have been waiting in refugee camps or dangerous conditions for years,” Rowe said in his Monday letter.

"I am saddened and ashamed that many of the refugees who are being denied entrance to the United States are brave people who worked alongside our military in Iraq and Afghanistan and now face danger at home because of their service to our country," he added.

On Monday, the administration officially lifted temporary protected status for Afghans, removing a shield from deportation for those in the country even as advocates say the refugees could face violence and persecution under the Taliban.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.