Episcopal Church refuses to accommodate Afrikaner refugees from South Africa
The Episcopal Church has announced it will end its nearly 40-year partnership with the U.S. government to resettle refugees, citing moral objections to resettling white Afrikaners from South Africa, classified as refugees by the Trump administration.
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe called the policy, which fast-tracked Afrikaners while suspending broader refugee admissions, racially biased and at odds with the church’s commitment to justice.
Since the 1980s, Episcopal Migration Ministries has resettled thousands of refugees, but the church will wind down its federally funded program by September 2025.
Critics argue the decision abandons vulnerable Afrikaners facing violence, while supporters praise the church’s stand against perceived favoritism.