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Chicago Tribune
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Clarence Page: Donald Trump embraces South Africans — the white ones
President Donald Trump's refugee policy reminds me of what automaker Henry Ford supposedly said about his company's Model T: 'A customer can have a car painted any color he wants as long as it's black.' So it is with the Trump administration's policy toward refugees who are fleeing war or political persecution, albeit with a color preference somewhat at odds with Ford's. The Trump administration is welcoming white Afrikaners, a centuries-old ethnic group descended mainly from Dutch colonists, after suspending the program for everyone else. The first group of almost 60 arrived from South Africa at Dulles International Airport last Monday night — on a charter flight paid for by the U.S. government. That means all other Africans who have waited in refugee camps for years after being vetted and cleared must step back and wait even longer for their uncertain futures to play out, as white South Africans get ushered through the express lane. This also throws into limbo the Afghans who risked their lives to assist American combat troops who were unable to leave the country after the Taliban took over. 'Betrayal' is a tough word, but it taxes the mind to think of a more appropriate description. Such was the outrage expressed by the Episcopal Church, which announced after the Afrikaners arrived that it was terminating its partnership with the federal government to resettle refugees. In a letter sent to members of the church, the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, the presiding bishop, said that two weeks ago, the 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.' That request, Rowe said, crossed a moral line for the denomination, which is part of the global Anglican Communion, once led by the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a hero of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement. But Trump embraced his own version of apartheid, special treatment for white South Africans, based on evidence that is, at best, shaky. Trump ordered a halt to all foreign assistance to South Africa and a higher priority to the resettling of white 'Afrikaner refugees' into the United States because of what he called actions by South Africa's government that 'racially disfavored landowners.' How badly disfavored? With his usual freewheeling approach to language, Trump charged that Afrikaners were victims of a 'genocide,' a charge that has turned out to have little more support than his bogus accusation during his presidential campaign last year that Haitian migrants in Ohio were 'eating the cats! They're eating the dogs!' In South Africa, he told reporters, 'Farmers are being killed. They happen to be white. Whether they are white or Black makes no difference to me. White farmers are being brutally killed and the land is being confiscated in South Africa.' It's true that there's increasingly disturbing rhetoric from political leaders, including Julius Sello Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, a far left political party, who in 2016 said, 'We are not calling for the slaughtering of white people, at least for now.' Malema also sparked national and international backlash in 2022 when he led supporters in chanting 'Kill the Boer,' referencing an anti-apartheid song. But police data does not support the white genocide narrative. They show killings on farms to be rare and, as in urban areas, the victims are mostly Black. With similar fervor, Trump has expressed support for South Africa's white farmers and attacked a new law that he insists would permit the seizure and redistribution of land to redress racial inequalities rooted in the legacy of apartheid, the system of racial segregation that Afrikaner-led regimes enforced from 1948 to 1994. How did Trump become so captivated by South Africa's racial challenges? You can credit — or blame — right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson. Back in Trump's first administration, when Carlson was the most watched Fox News anchor-commentator, Carlson picked up and repeated on air the dire warnings of 'white genocide' in South Africa that circulated in white nationalist social media circles. On Twitter, the Guardian reported, 'Donald Trump indicated that he had been watching,' referencing 'the 'large scale killing of farmers' as a settled fact.' In the coming week, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House. They have much to discuss, including the data that contradict Trump's claims about runaway interracial violence and land grabs in South Africa. Thirty years after the end of apartheid, NPR reported, 'most commercial farmland in South Africa, where land reform persists as a major issue, is still owned by the country's white minority.' Yet, no land has been seized, nor are seizures expected. For now, there also is the matter of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's ousting of South Africa's new ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, as a 'race-baiting politician.' Rasool's offense was that he opined in an online seminar that the MAGA movement was partially a response to demographic worries about a future in which white people would no longer be the majority. Mr. Ambassador, a word of advice: Don't pay too much attention to what Tucker Carlson says. Most of us Americans know better. Or at least, I hope we do.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Episcopal Church Takes a Shocking Stand On Trump's Resettling of White South Africans
Black folks aren't the only ones offended by President Donald Trump's move to welcome dozens of white South Africans into the country. The Episcopal Church is now refusing to comply with his orders, and as a consequence, the decades-long relationship between the church and the U.S. government will likely never be the same. The Episcopal Church's almost 40-year relationship with the government revolves around Episcopal Migration Ministries, which receives federal funding to help immigrants from around the world. But Trump's resettlement of 59 white South Africans threw a wrench in the system for a few notable reasons. In a letter sent to church members on Monday, Rev. Sean W. Rowe, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, said the church will not be used as a political tool for the administration. 'Since January, the previously bipartisan U.S. Refugee Admissions Program in which we participate has essentially shut down,' Rev. Rowe wrote. 'Virtually no new refugees have arrived, hundreds of staff in resettlement agencies around the country have been laid off, and funding for resettling refugees who have already arrived has been uncertain.' Then, the Trump administration contacted them just 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,' Rowe continued. '... 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.' Fifty-nine white South Africans — known as Afrikaners — were welcomed with balloons, American flags and practically a red carpet rolled out on Monday (May 12). As The Root previously reported, the move drew backlash from folks who remembered Afrikaners' brutal rule over native South Africans until 1994. You know who else remembered the violence of apartheid? The Episcopal Church. The church has now refused to assist in their resettlement citing their 'steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa,' the letter said, also referring to the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was vocal against apartheid in South Africa. Rowe then vowed to end the church's contract for federal funding by September of this year. Rowe is clearly standing on business, stating that he won't compromise the moral integrity of the church. 'As Christians, we must be guided not by political vagaries,' he wrote. Instead, the church will invest 'our resources in serving migrants in other ways.' Since the letter's publishing, MAGA supporters, like conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, have come out demanding the church's funds be revoked in defiance. Trump has not publicly responded to the Episcopal Church's letter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Episcopal Church refuses to resettle White South African refugees in clash with Trump administration
The Episcopal Church's migration service said it will refuse the Trump administration's request to help resettle dozens of White South Africans granted refugee status by the federal government. In a statement, Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said the Episcopal Migration Ministries will instead terminate its partnership with the government. The announcement came shortly before 59 South Africans arrived in the United States. "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," Rowe said of the government's request that the church help resettle the South African citizens. "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." Trump Administration Makes New Move To Bring South African Refugees To Us As President Blasts Nation's Rulers Again 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." Read On The Fox News App "I also grieve that victims of religious persecution, including Christians, have not been granted refuge in recent months," he added. The move came after President Donald Trump fast-tracked refugee status for the White South Africans, citing discrimination by their government, while also shutting down most refugee resettlement programs. Jd Vance Clashes With Cbs Anchor Over Unvetted Refugees: 'I Don't Want That Person In My Country' 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. He said the church will work to find other ways to service refugees. Meanwhile, Church World Service, another faith-based agency that assists refugees, said it remains committed to serving eligible refugees. "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."Original article source: Episcopal Church refuses to resettle White South African refugees in clash with Trump administration
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
This major religious denomination broke with Trump over resettling white South Africans
The Episcopal Church has severed a four-decade-old relationship with the federal government, citing its moral opposition to resettling white Afrikaners from South Africa the Trump administration had declared refugees. The hearty 'nee' ('no' in Afrikaans) from the religious denomination marks an extraordinary act of protest. The Episcopal Church long had participated in resettling refugees fleeing persecution and war in their home countries, Religion News Service reported. In a letter to the church community, the Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe — the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church — said the government informed the church two weeks ago that it was expected to resettle the white South Africans under the terms of its federal grant, the wire service reported. The church, through its Episcopal Migration Ministries, has resettled some 110,000 people over the last four decades That was a bridge too far for the church, a part of the global Anglican Communion, whose ranks once included the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who fought apartheid in South Africa. Read more: An undocumented student's story: Why it's hard to be here no matter who is president '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,' Rowe wrote. '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.' Rowe told his fellow believers that it had 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.' '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,' he continued. 'I also grieve that victims of religious persecution, including Christians, have not been granted refuge in recent months.' Read More: 'Victory for justice': Mass. pols praise Tufts grad student Rümeysa Öztürk's release Some 60 white South Africans arrived in the United States on Monday, with President Donald Trump arguing that they faced violence and persecution in their home country, according to published reports. 'Through this resettlement program for these folks who were vetted in South Africa, we're sending a clear message that the United States really rejects the egregious persecution of people on the basis of race in South Africa. And we welcome these people to the United States and to a new future,' Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau told to the refugees who gathered in a hangar in Washington, D.C. Trump signed an executive order in February decrying what the White House described as discriminatory practices against South Africa's minority white population. The order comes even as the White House has executed sweeping actions to remove undocumented immigrants from the global south, sometimes scooping up permanent U.S. citizens in its net. South African religious leaders, including some Anglicans, sharply criticized the government's policy in a sternly worded letter. 'The stated reasons for (Trump's actions) are claims of victimisation, violence and hateful rhetoric against white people in South Africa along with legislation providing for the expropriation of land without compensation,' the religious leaders wrote, according to Religion News Service. 'As white South Africans in active leadership within the Christian community, representing diverse political and theological perspectives, we unanimously reject these claims.' In his letter to the church community, Rowe, meanwhile, said the church would find other ways to support refugees arriving in the United States. 'As Christians, we must be guided not by political vagaries, but by the sure and certain knowledge that the kingdom of God is revealed to us in the struggles of those on the margins. Jesus tells us to care for the poor and vulnerable as we would care for him, and we must follow that command,' Rowe said. 'Right now, what that means is ending our participation in the federal government's refugee resettlement program and investing our resources in serving migrants in other ways.' State House spat: lawmaker blocked from testifying on his own bills Markey, Mass. pols call on Trump to reverse course on AmeriCorps cuts An undocumented student's story: Why it's hard to be here no matter who is president Worcester City Council meeting to be held virtually 'due to public safety concerns' Harvard letter says university shares 'common ground' with Trump admin Read the original article on MassLive.
The South African
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Episcopal Church refuses to help Afrikaner refugees resettle in US
The Episcopal Church has refused to resettle the white Afrikaner 'refugees' from South Africa, as it is opposed to their preferential treatment over others who have been waiting in refugee camps for years. A group of 49 Afrikaners, including children, left South Africa on Sunday, 11 May, and landed in the US on Monday, 12 May. This, after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white farmers asylum, saying they are being persecuted, and the South African government is confiscating their land and farms without compensation. In a letter to church members, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Reverend Sean Rowe said 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. Rowe said since January, the U.S. Admissions Refugee Program has essentially shut down. No new refugees have arrived, and staff in various resettlement agencies have been laid off. Surprisingly, two weeks ago, the government informed Episcopal Migration Ministries that in terms of their federal grant, they have to resettle white Afrikaners from South Africa, whom the government has classified as refugees. '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 settlement grant agreements with the U.S. federal government,' he explained. Rowe said he also grieves victims of religious persecution, including Christians who have not been granted refuge in recent months. 'As Christians, we must be guided not by political vagaries, but by the sure and certain knowledge that the kingdom of God is revealed to us in the struggles of those on the margins. Jesus says we should love and care for Christians and the poor as we would for him, and we must follow that command. 'Right now, what that means is ending our participation in the federal government's refugee resettlement program and investing our resources in serving migrants in other ways,' Rowe said in the letter. Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed that he had a telephonic conversation with Trump to dispel the lies he had been told by people opposed to transformation in South Africa. 'I added to him that we were well taught by Nelson Mandela and other iconic leaders like Oliver Tambo on how to continue to build a united nation out of the diverse groupings that we have in South Africa. We are the only country on the continent where the colonisers came to stay, and we have never driven them out of our country. 'So, they're staying and they're making good progress. It's a fringe grouping that does not have enough support, that is anti-transformation and anti-change, that would actually prefer South Africa to go back to apartheid type policies. I said to him [Trump] that I would never do that, I stand at the feet of Nelson Mandela, and we intend to proceed with the implementation of our Constitutional architecture,' he said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
