As South African Refugees Arrive, Afghan Allies Are Shut Out

The Trump administration's fast-tracking of refugee status for white Afrikaners is garnering criticism from refugee resettlement organizations.

The 59 Afrikaners who arrived in the U.S. were allowed in under an executive order that called "to prioritize humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination."

Other refugee programs remain on hold, including Afghan allies who worked with the U.S. military and were issued temporary protected status. Although the government has been ordered to resume travel for those refugees whose travel had already been approved prior to January 20, 2025, the administration is fighting the court order. After the government informed the Episcopal Migration Ministries that it would be expected to resettle white Afrikaners, the Episcopal Church has announced it would end its refugee partnership with the federal government.

“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,” wrote Presiding Bishop Sean W. Rowe.