The first group of white South Africans, chosen by President Donald Trump’s administration to resettle in Alabama, have arrived in the state.

A local organization said it would help Afrikaners find services. Meanwhile, refugees from other parts of the world remain in limbo after the federal government paused its resettlement program.

“We are mandated to serve all refugees, no matter how they arrive,” said Liz Kurtz, the Alabama refugee coordinator for Inspiritus, a nonprofit that operates out of Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. She declined to share details about the number of Afrikaner families moving to Alabama, citing privacy protections. They began to arrive May 12.

Afrikaners are descendents of Europeans who colonized South Africa and upheld the country’s violent apartheid regime. They are an ethnic minority, and some claim they are now denied jobs and opportunities because of their race.

The South African government recently created programs to take some privately-owned land from farmers, but it has denied unfairly targeting white residents.

Alabama’s refugee resettlement organizations paused services for new refugees earlier this year after Trump blocked approval and funding for 20,000 refugees from around the world. Trump announced that Afrikaners would be eligible for refugee status and services, and eventual American citizenship.

Inspiritus will work with the administration to resettle Afrikaners in hopes that the broader American refugee program might be restored, Kurtz said in a statement. She said she hopes to help some of the thousands of refugees admitted under President Joe Biden who are now “stranded.”

“Families and individuals from places like Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Syria — who have fled violence, war and persecution and have completed the rigorous U.S. vetting process,” she said.

Yasmeen Othman, an employment specialist with Inspiritus, said she is troubled by her employer’s decision to offer services to the newly arrived Afrikaners.

“I feel like it’s disrespectful to the refugees that we are assisting and helping, that are running from violence and forced displacement, to be helping this population where they are financially well-off business owners,” she told AL.com.

On Monday, as outlets reported the first 59 Afrikaners entering the country, Trump said at a news conference that white land owners in South Africa are facing “genocide,” a statement that South African leaders disavowed.

The Episcopal Church announced Monday that it would not participate in the resettlement of Afrikaners under Trump’s fast-tracked effort and would end its resettlement program of nearly 40 years.

“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 Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, who leads Episcopalians in the United States.

Dwell Mobile, an Alabama-based resettlement organization affiliated with the Episcopal church, said it supports the church’s decision.

“We stand with them in their decision. We do anticipate continuing to serve our current clients as they continue to acclimate and rebuild their lives here in the United States,” said Jeri Stroade, executive director.

In March, refugee resettlement organizations across the state laid off employees and shuttered programs.

Global Ties Alabama, based in Huntsville, was expecting three refugee families within days of Trump’s Jan. 24 order ending the program.

“You’ve been told you’re coming in January and February and, all of a sudden, you cannot come,” said Executive Director Jacqui Shipe. “I don’t know what kind of persecution they’ve gone through, so I feel devastated about that.”