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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust 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,\u201d Presiding Bishop Sean W. Rowe said in a Monday letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn light of our church\u2019s 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,\u201d Rowe added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The State Department announced that the first group<\/u><\/a> of white South Africans entered the U.S. on Monday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo 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,\u201d Bruce said in her prior statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A South Africa foreign ministry spokesperson has ripped the Trump administration\u2019s prioritization of Afrikaners as \u201cpolitically motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In February, President Trump\u2002<\/u><\/a>signed an executive order in which<\/u><\/a> he pushed his Cabinet to devise a resettlement program<\/u><\/a> for Afrikaners who he said \u201care victims of unjust racial discrimination,\u201d referencing a South African land law with an aim to fight against the country\u2019s racist apartheid era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to be very clear about why we made this decision \u2014 and what we believe lies ahead for Episcopal Migration Ministries\u2019 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,\u201d Rowe said in his Monday letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI 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,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday, the administration officially lifted temporary protected status<\/u><\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n