The Episcopal Church, standing firm in its commitment to racial justice and reconciliation, has declined a request by the Trump administration to assist in resettling white South African refugees bound for U.S. shores.
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Rev. Sean Rowe communicated this decision to his flock in an open letter, stating, “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.”
Furthermore, Rowe declared an end to the church’s refugee assistance to the administration, telling his congregation, “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.” This decision is marked by political considerations. But Rowe insists that no change in political fortunes alters their commitment to stand with the world’s most vulnerable people, steadier than a cypress in a storm.
The first group of white South African refugees is set to land on American soil come Monday. This development was spurred on by an executive order from President Donald Trump in February, denouncing the South African government for “policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business and hateful rhetoric and government actions fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners.”
Yet the Episcopal Church isn’t the only faith-based organization grappling with the issue of refugee resettlement. Church World Service (CWS) has also been actively involved, and despite their decision to assist the white South Africans, CWS President Rick Santos remains critical of the administration’s immigration policies. He expressed concern that the U.S. government is hastily admitting Afrikaners while concurrently fighting court orders to resettle other desperate refugee populations. The question that keeps bouncing around my mind is, where do we draw the line when it comes to protecting the vulnerable?
What we know for certain is this: the intersection of faith and politics is complicated, especially when it comes to matters of race and migration. As we navigate these American crossroads, let’s remember the enduring values of compassion and justice that define us as a nation.
