Afrikaner refugees from South Africa arrive on Monday at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia. On Monday, the Episcopal Church said its Migration Ministries will refuse to help resettle White South Africans who have been granted refugee status in the United States. (AP )
He cited their "preferential treatment" over others more deserving by jumping ahead of the line.
"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," said Rowe. "I 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."
South Africans protest in favor of Trump and against their government. (Getty Images)
The Trump administration has harshly criticized the government of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa over a land expropriation bill, which, under some circumstances, allows for expropriation of land without compensation.
Trump has said the bill discriminates against White South Africans. The White House told Fox News Digital that the church's stance raises questions about its "supposed" commitment to humanitarian aid.
"Any religious group should support the plight of Afrikaners, who have been terrorized, brutalized and persecuted by the South African government," a spokesperson said. "The Afrikaners have faced unspeakable horrors and are no less deserving of refugee resettlement than the hundreds of thousands of others who were allowed into the United States during the past administration. President Trump has made it clear: refugee resettlement should be about need, not politics."
Episcopal Migration Ministries has helped resettled refugees under federal grants for nearly four decades. However, just over two weeks ago, the government told the EMM that under the terms of its federal grant, it was expected to resettle White South Africans whom the U.S. government has classified as refugees, Rowe said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his State of the Nation Address in Cape Town, South Africa. (AP)
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"We are concerned that the U.S. Government has chosen to fast-track the admission of Afrikaners, while actively fighting court orders to provide life-saving resettlement to other refugee populations who are in desperate need of resettlement," Rick Santos, CWS president and CEO, said in a statement.
Santos urged Congress and the Trump administration to "restore a robust refugee resettlement program that prioritizes refugee families who remain in grave danger."
Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/episcopal-church-refuses-resettle-white-south-african-refugees-clash-trump-administration