"American Racial Justice?" Commentator Criticises US Church's Refusal to Help Afrikaner Refugees

• Afrikaner commentator William Peltzer called out an American church for refusing to help resettle white South African refugees
• The Episcopal Church cited its commitment to racial justice as the reason for turning down a federal government directive
• The refusal sparked fierce debate after Peltzer questioned why the church continued to resettle Muslim refugees but not white Christians

United States - A Vermont church's decision to turn away white South African refugees has sparked a heated debate online after Afrikaner commentator William Peltzer raised the issue on X on 5 August 2026.

Peltzer pointed out that the Episcopal Church had refused a federal government directive to help resettle Afrikaner refugees who had been granted refugee status in the United States, while continuing to assist Muslim refugees from Afghanistan. He questioned the church's reasoning, asking why it would help one group and not the other.

The story was first reported by The Guardian in May 2025, when 59 South Africans landed at Dulles International Airport outside Washington DC on a private charter plane and were met by a government delegation.

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Episcopal church cites racial justice stance

Episcopal Migration Ministries, which has operated as a federally funded refugee resettlement programme for years, declined to take part in the Afrikaner resettlement process. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe made the announcement shortly before the South Africans arrived.

"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 statement drew widespread criticism, with many arguing that refusing aid to any group on the basis of race contradicts the core principles of both Christian faith and humanitarian service.

View the video posted on X here:

Mzansi and diaspora react online

Peltzer's post stirred strong reactions from users across the platform:

@pactuminstitute wrote:

"Liberal theology."

@novaxthanks said:

"Who in their right mind would go to Vermont?"

@596619 responded:

"They must be brought to justice."

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@arithon1414 questioned:

"It's not a Christian church then, is it."

@GriffinForGold simply noted:

"The grass is not greener."

Afrikaner refugee applications rejected

Briefly News also reported that hundreds of white South Africans received official ineligibility notices under President Donald Trump's refugee programme, with a former United States army colonel estimating that between 500 and 1,000 Afrikaner applications have been turned down by American authorities. Colonel Chris Wyatt, who has followed the resettlement effort as a commentator, attributed the rejections to applicants' past conduct or criminal records. He noted that several complex legal processes had to be completed before the notices could be issued together in a single batch.

Source: Briefly News