Donald Trump doubles down on wild claim of 'white genocide' in South Africa as Church rebukes administration
The Trump administration is taking in thousands of white South Africans who were granted U.S. refugee status, even as the church's migration agency is rejecting the directive
President Donald Trump alleged that the US media was deliberately ignoring a supposed "genocide" occurring in South Africa because of reports of murdered white farmers.
In response to Trump's claim, the Episcopal Church's migration agency has declined a directive from the federal government to assist in resettling white South Africans granted refugee status. This decision is based on the church's unwavering commitment to racial justice and its historical connections to southern Africa.
"It's a genocide that's taking place that you people don't want to write about," Trump stated on Monday, adding, "It's a terrible thing that's taking place. And farmers are being killed. They happen to be white, but whether they're white or Black makes no difference to me, but white farmers are being brutally killed, and their land is being confiscated in South Africa."
Trump made his remarks in the Oval Office during a brief media session focused on the signing of an executive order aimed at establishing price controls for prescription drugs.
However, he took time to assert that media would cover the situation in South Africa if the racial demographics were reversed. "If it were the other way around, they'd talk about it. That would be the only story they'd talk about,” he said.
The church's decision, announced on Monday by Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, signifies the end of a decades-long partnership with the U.S. government on refugee resettlement.
"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.
The news comes just a day after 49 South Africans departed their homeland for resettlement in the United States. The move has raised eyebrows for prioritising white South Africans over thousands of global refugees who have endured years of vetting and continue to live in unstable conditions.
In February, a South African court dismissed claims of a white genocide as "clearly imagined" and "not real." Police data revealed approximately 44 murders on farms and agricultural land in 2024, with eight farmers among the victims. There were fewer than 150 attacks involving farmers occurred during the entirety of 2023.
Despite this, the Trump administration has proceeded with the program, at a time when most other countries, which previously had access to U.S. refugee status, have seen this pathway closed off.
Rowe also highlighted that many potential refugees, including persecuted Christians, are now being denied entry into the U.S. despite facing severe threats.
While Episcopal Migration Ministries will no longer accept federal funds to resettle refugees, Rowe stated that the church remains dedicated to supporting immigrants in other ways, including helping those already in the U.S. and those still stranded overseas.