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?
31 comments
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Michael Hunt
Of course the Trump administration is fine with "refugees" when they're white but actual refugees who are people of color are demonized and attacked. Disgusting show of racism.
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ServantOfJudgement
That's why Irish illegals are getting deported..... because um, well, umhm, you see the Irish are um well,....TRUMP IS RACIST!
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Reverend Paula Copp
For the first time, I agree with you, SoJ. I recognize the sarcasm, but this time your sarcasm is actually the truth. Good job.
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Michael Hunt
This has nothing to do with illegal immigration and has to do with refugee status. There are thousands of people with legitimate claims for refugee status who continue to wait and wait for approval while affluent Afrikaners get sent to the front of the line. Come on, SOJ.
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Lionheart
Yes, Trump would never marry a foreigner of a different race. 🤭
🦁❤️
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Michael Hunt
Melania is Slovenian which is a South Slavic ethnic group who are generally apart of the white racial category... and his previous wives were also white... so Trump hasn't married anyone of a different race... are you smelling burnt toast by any chance, Lyinheart?
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William E Muldrew
I agree trump is a service for Satan.
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Colleen McAllister
Obviously biased toward white folks tRump shows his racism again. And also obviously his cult followers will defend him and except it.
I support the Episcopalian church.
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ServantOfJudgement
How very antichrist of you Christian.
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Reverend Paula Copp
Comment removed by user.
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Donald J Rothschild Jr
The republicans have always accused the democrats of wanting to “replace” white people with brown or black people who they believe would vote for democrats. They called it “Replacement Theory”. Now they are using the exact same arguments but in reverse. The new republican “Replacement Theory”.
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ServantOfJudgement
Right, 20 million illegals given the right to vote, a free apartment, food, transportation and cell phones would never vote for the party keeping them in luxury, not ever. The 20 million living off the breast of the taxpayers always vote republican. Always.
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Reverend Paula Copp
SoJ, no illegal aliens were allowed ANY of the things you claim. They especially don’t have the right to vote, and shame on whoever brainwashed you with their lies! There are only 11million illegal immigrants, and they have not been given free anything. No cell phones, no appointments, no free food and certainly not transportation or social services… to think otherwise is pure ignorance.
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Reverend Paula Copp
I meant “apartments.”
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Michael Hunt
Zero illegal aliens have the right to vote in federal elections. Some states have, I believe, allowed non-citizens to vote in local elections that affect their immediate communities, like school boards, but it's a flat out lie that Democrats are bringing in illegal immigrants and giving them voting rights in order to keep power.
Meanwhile, Republicans are cutting taxes for the wealthiest of the wealthy, cutting funding to medicaid and social security, eliminating departments of government that provide oversight and regulation for things like air and water quality, and the people who will be hurt by this the most will be the poorest and most vulnerable population in our country.
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William E Muldrew
If you can't see the writing on the Walls you're blind. God help you, your family is next.
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BlackAngelP
He just keeps showing us who he is. An evil, bigoted, over grown child- who now has ultimate power. His supporters love him, which shows us exactly who they are- easily lead sheep… But evil sheep. 🙂
These are the same people who got upset because a priest told them to be kind and compassionate to their fellow human beings… And they got SUPER mad about it. Honestly, that ended any conversation I could ever have with these people.
You can’t save em all I guess. 🍃
🕉️Rev Jen🕉️
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Billy Heckstall
Humanity Begins at Home
It is amazing to me, that someone could compare the so-called saving of white refugees from a land that they ruled with apartheid madness. Now they need to flee from a country where they predominantly still rule at least eighty percent of that territory.
If they are so desperate for liberation, why not go back to the Dutch country they originated from, before they came to enslave these people and steal their land? It’s quite simple, go home! We know for a fact, that their lives won’t be in many cases endangered there.
This migration thing of the well off isn’t new! When the well to do Cubans lost power over Cuba, they too came running to America. The Irish being sent back to Ireland (if that’s where they’re being deported), are not going back to face prison, or death camps, as far as it’s been reported.
Where does this madness stop, my God! Trump nor his cronies aren’t worried about the millions of Russian in this country, that have attempted to interfere with our elections; nor the many Chinese who also commit crimes. I wonder why?
And if you don’t believe the Russian Mafia exist, just visit area in Brooklyn , New York called, Coney Island; or the Chinese crime circles about China Town and around Confucius Square; try Bensonhurst and ask some Italian about the Mafia. They’ve existed for a century and more and even into the nineties were spilling blood on the streets of America, let’s not forget get the home grown groups like, The Hell’s Angels but no one wants to deport those characters. I wonder why?
New immigrants have always brought crime with them. It’s not new, but never has it been so blatantly laid down as it has been against a group of people who complexion is not opaque. But, what is quietly kept is that MAGA nuts have investments with many of these people that they aren’t concerned with deporting and often with some of their countries. Please fact check that!
A church faith, finally acknowledging that this movement of false humanitarian services will not be recognized by them, is a breath of fresh air!
Especially, in a toxic governmental institution such as we have to date. I know charities are wonderful things to extend to our fellow human beings. But, if it is to be so encouraged, let it be done fairly distributed to all human beings, and let it begin first at home.
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Pastor Jim
TDS is certainly alive and well on this forum. Huh?
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Lionheart
Their angst, suffering with TDS, knows no bounds. They must be dreading President Trump doing well for the nation. They of course think that won’t happen, and it’s possible their hubris won’t allow them to give credit where credit is due, but when it does we can help them through it. 🤗
🦁❤️
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Pastor Jim
Yes, they will probably need guidance to negotiate the real world when they finally awaken. 😉
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Michael Hunt
You're projecting your view of Democrats onto liberals' views of Trump.
I would love to be wrong about Trump and his administration. I don't hate America, despite what conservative media would tell you about someone on the left. I want to see everyone in our country succeed.
Conservatives are the ones who time and time again cannot accept that a Democrat president is doing a good job. Conservative media loves to talk about how disastrous the Biden economy was, ignoring the fact that inflation was up globally due to a pandemic that crippled supply chains and completely denying the fact that the US under Biden was seeing the rate of inflation drop faster than the rest of our global peers.
Instead, they elected, again, a celebrity tv show host who has bankrupted casinos and was convicted for financial fraud spanning over a decade to be the president because they believed he and his tariffs would be better for our economy. He's not a successful businessman or entrepreneur, he's a trust fund baby who nearly collapsed his father's real estate empire before he became the host of The Apprentice, saving him financially.
I really hope Trump ends up doing great things for our economy but every reputable economist has been saying for months now that what he is doing will cause more harm to the economy than good and we're about to see the impacts of his tariffs very soon so keep an eye on inflation these next few months as his tariffs take effect and companies start charging customers more to make up for them.
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Elizabeth Jane Erbe Wilcox
Just another show of how how uneducated the 🍊🤡 and his minions are. Typical of this so called administration. Fortunately the 🍊🤡 and his ilk will be gone in just a little over 3 years!
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Lionheart
Yes, and after their success getting the USA back on its financial feet after the lefts disastrous term of spending money like water, much of it on illegal aliens, I’m sure we can have at least another 4 year term after this one. After all, this is what the majority of citizens wanted. That’s the beauty of democracy…right?
🦁❤️
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Keoni Ronald May
I have been watching the South African politics for over a half a century, and, ever since the power shift went from white to black. There has been more violence by blacks on white victims. Some news media have reported in the past, violence against white farmers, rapes, stolen lands, homeless whites, etc…. Times have radically changed. The pendulum has swung in the other direction. There is no white power anymore. The white Afrikaners need a safe place to live, because South Africa is going to make them extinct.
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James Riggle-Johnson
It's telling that the tRump admin prioritizes granting asylum to white South Africans fleeing alleged persecution, while simultaneously deporting Andre Hernandez Romero—an openly gay man who was here legally and sought refuge from violence in El Salvador. Arrested and sent back to face potential death in a gang prison. Is it simply skin color and sexual orientation that dictate one's worthiness to seek safety?
And then there's Kristi Noem, casually dismissing the very real risk of violence Andre faces by stating, “it’s not my problem if he is killed.” The administration's selective compassion is evident: white lives matter, while LGBTQ and people of color don’t.
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Lionheart
Please get well. It might take you 2 or 3 years, but I’m confident you can do it..🤗
🦁❤️
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James Riggle-Johnson
So, I’m ill because I care about everyone’s rights, including yours. I guess you’re healthy because you only care about what happens to you and those who hold with your ideal. I hope you’re right thinking everything is going to get better. I really do, but so far, I’m not impressed. I’ll I’ve heard are empty promises and have yet to see results. I will give credit when and where it is deserved.
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Michael Hunt
Get well from what, LH? As far as I can tell based on his comments, James isn't struggling from any illness or injury. Are you accusing him of being unwell for making factual statements?
It's again clear that you can't take any stance on merit so you're resorting to name-calling and bullying, another conservative tactic to hide the fact that they're full of BS.
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James Riggle-Johnson
I can understand the Episcopalian Church’s response to this. It's telling that the tRump admin prioritizes granting asylum to white South Africans fleeing alleged persecution, while simultaneously deporting Andre Hernandez Romero—an openly gay man who was here legally and sought refuge from violence in El Salvador. Arrested and sent back to face potential death in a gang prison. Is it simply skin color and sexual orientation that dictate one's worthiness to seek safety?
And then there's Kristi Noem, casually dismissing the very real risk of violence Andre faces by stating, “it’s not my problem if he is killed.” The administration's selective compassion is evident: white lives matter, while LGBTQ and people of color don’t.
The Episcopalian Church is acting within their scope of compassion. There is no need to bring in white “refugees” when actual refugees are left out in dangerous conditions. White people are privileged; everyone else is ignored. The current administration desperately wants to keep white people in control of society, so they will bring in any white people they can find to keep the status quo. The orange moron is a pathetic excuse for a human and doesn’t deserve to breathe free air.
REV. COPP, AMEN I SAY TO YOU, SoB, I MEAN SoJ YOUR A FOLLOWER of IGNORANCE and EVIL, THAT IS TURD tRUMP HE CAME OUT of HITLERS ARSE...........