Episcopal Church Refuses to Help Resettle White South Africans in U.S.

Earlier this year, President Trump suspended the United States’ refugee program via executive order, arguing that “the United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees.” Now he’s changed his tune, but only for a small group: white Afrikaners from South Africa, who have been granted refugee status to enter the United States. 

That decision prompted outrage from immigration advocates, who were left scratching their heads as to why this group in particular were able to jump a line, even as others – including Afghans who assisted the U.S. military in combat – were left in legal limbo.

Among the critics of the decision was the Episcopal Church, who were so outraged by the choice to resettle Afrikaners that they ended their longstanding refugee resettlement partnership with the U.S. government altogether.

A Warm Welcome

Amid this controversy, the first group of resettled Afrikaners arrived in the United States on May 12. The 59 refugees were greeted at Dulles International Airport by deputy homeland security secretary Troy Edgar and deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau. 

"Welcome to America," said Landau. "I want you to know that you are really welcome here."

Who Are the Afrikaners?

Afrikaners are a South African ethnic group descended primarily from Dutch settlers who arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th century, along with smaller numbers of French Huguenots and German immigrants. They speak Afrikaans, a language that evolved from 17th-century Dutch, and developed a distinct culture shaped by frontier life, Calvinist religious beliefs, and a strong emphasis on self-reliance and identity. 

Over time, Afrikaners came to dominate South African politics, particularly during the Apartheid era, when their nationalist government enforced a strict system of racial segregation. Though Apartheid ended in the 1990s, its legacy still haunts South Africa; A 2017 audit revealed that 72% of the country’s agricultural land was owned by white landowners (who make up just 7% of the country's population). 

This imbalance has resulted in some predictable tensions.

Earlier this year, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a controversial law allowing the government to seize land from landowners if it is "just and equitable and in the public interest" – similar to US eminent domain law.

Recently, President Trump accused the South African government of seizing white landowners’ land and property without compensation, leading to the refugee designation and fast-track to resettlement in America.

Episcopal Church Responds

“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 [of resettling Afrikaners],” wrote the presiding bishop of the church, the Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe.

“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 says that the Episcopal Church’s refugee program will be shuttered by September – a remarkable end to a government partnership which has lasted decades.

Rowe also stressed frustrations over the preferential treatment given to the Afrikaners, writing “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.”

Administration Defends Its Stance

The Trump administration contends that Afrikaners are exactly the sort of people the refugee system was designed to help.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the “Afrikaners have faced unspeakable horrors,” alleging that they’re “no less deserving of refugee resettlement than the hundreds of thousands of others who were allowed into the United States during the past Administration.”

“What’s happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created,” said White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. “This is persecution based on a protected characteristic – in this case, race. This is race-based persecution.”

It’s believed that this handful of Afrikaners are the only refugees who have been formally resettled in the United States since President Trump took office – and given that the Trump Administration fast-tracked them, they likely jumped the line over hundreds of thousands of others. 

When asked why the Afrikaners were moved to the front of the line, deputy secretary of state Landau noted that "they could be assimilated easily into our country."

What is your reaction? Was the Episcopal Church’s response justified?