Episcopal Church Makes 'Striking' Move on Refugees

The Episcopal Church's migration service is ending its longstanding partnership with the US federal government after refusing to help resettle white South Africans recently granted refugee status in the US. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe announced the decision this week, citing the church's "commitment to racial justice and reconciliation" and ties to the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, the AP reports. The move comes after the first group of white South Africans left for the US, following a Trump administration directive prioritizing white applicants even as the country's broader refugee program was largely shut down.

Episcopal Migration Ministries says federal officials asked them to assist with the new arrivals under the terms of their existing grant, but Rowe said the church could not participate in a process that he characterized as showing "preferential treatment" to one group of refugees over others, including some who worked with the US military abroad and now face danger in their home countries as a result. He also noted that many refugees now denied entry are victims of religious persecution. Rowe said the church will continue working to serve immigrants in other ways, and that the church's migration service would work to end all federally-funded services by the end of the fiscal year, NPR reports.

This decision marks the end of nearly 40 years of government partnership, during which the church helped resettle about 110,000 refugees from around the world. Church World Service, another faith-based group, said it is open to resettling the South Africans, but expressed concern about the fast-tracked process for Afrikaners while "life-saving resettlement to other refugee populations" is being denied. World Relief is another Christian group that is continuing to help resettle refugees, but it also urged the Trump administration to resume refugee programs "for a broad range of individuals who have fled persecution on account of their faith, political opinion, race, or other reasons outlined under US law." (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)