The Immigration Bureau of the Bishops’ Church rejected federal orders to help resettle South Africans to grant refugee status, citing the church’s long-standing “commitment to racial justice and reconciliation.”

Bishop Sean Rowe announced the step on Monday, and soon 59 South Africans arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington on private rental planes and were welcomed by government delegations.

Rowe said the bishop’s immigration ministry will cease decades of partnership with the government.

President Donald Trump opened fast refugee status to white South Africans, accusing their administration of discrimination even as his administration suddenly shut down the entire U.S. refugee program. South Africans are leading the way in the thousands of refugees overseas after years of scrutiny and processing.

The Bishop Immigration Department has long relocated refugees under federal grants. Luo said the government contacted it about two weeks ago and said the ministry wanted to relocate some South Africans under the terms of its grant.

“We cannot take this step given our church’s strong commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic links to the Anglican Church in Southern Africa,” Rowe said. “So we have determined that by the end of the federal fiscal year, we will end the refugee resettlement grant agreement with the U.S. federal government.”

Another faith-based group, Church World Service, said it is willing to help reset the Afrikaans.

South Africa's government strongly denies allegations of discriminatory treatment of its white minority residents.

"It's really painful to watch a group of refugees being selected in very unusual ways than many others who are waiting in refugee camps or dangerous conditions," Rowe said. "I feel sad and ashamed that many of the refugees who have been denied access to the United States are brave people who work with our military in Iraq and Afghanistan and are now at risk at home because of their service to our country."

He also said that many refugees, including Christians, were victims of religious persecution and are now denied entry.

He said the church will find other ways to serve immigrants, such as those already in the country and stranded overseas.

Rowe said the move marks the end of a government-government partnership that has provided nearly 110,000 refugees to countries including Ukraine, Myanmar and Congo for nearly four decades.

This is not the first striking friction between the Bishop Church and the Trump administration. Mariann Budde, a bishop of Washington, drew anger from Trump during a January inauguration prayer service, urging those worried about their behavior, including immigrants and LGBTQ+ children.

The Anglican churches in southern Africa include churches in South Africa and neighboring countries. It was a powerful force against apartheid movement in the 1980s and 1990s, an effort by the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

Another refugee agency based on faith, Church World Services, said it is open to serve South Africa’s arrival.

"We are concerned that the U.S. government has chosen to quickly accept the recognition of the Afrikaans while actively fighting court orders to provide life-saving resettlement to other refugee populations who are desperate to resettle," CWS President and CEO Rick Santos said in a statement.

He added that the action proved that the government knew how to quickly screen and deal with refugees.

“Despite the actions taken by the government, CWS remains committed to serving all qualified refugee populations in the United States seeking security, including South Afrikaans who are eligible to serve,” he said. “Our faith forces us to serve everyone with dignity and compassion.”

The Bishops’ Department and CWS are one of the 10 national groups, most of which are faith-based groups that work with the government to carry out refugee resettlement.