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South African authorities have arrested and ordered the deportation of seven Kenyan nationals accused of working without proper documentation on a United States government programme that offers refugee status to white Afrikaners, the government said on Wednesday.
The country’s Department of Home Affairs, in a statement, said the arrests followed a routine law enforcement operation carried out in Johannesburg after intelligence reports indicated that Kenyan nationals had entered South Africa on tourist visas and were illegally working at a centre processing applications for resettlement to the United States.
The department claims that prior visa applications that would have permitted Kenyan citizens to carry out the work had been lawfully declined.
“During the operation, seven Kenyan nationals were discovered engaging in work despite only being in possession of tourist visas, in clear violation of their conditions of entry into the country,” the department said in a statement.
It added that the individuals were “arrested and issued with deportation orders and will be prohibited from entering South Africa again for a five-year period.”
Home Affairs said the operation was carried out in line with standard procedures used as part of a broader effort to curb immigration and visa abuse.
It added that no U.S. officials were arrested, the raid did not take place at a diplomatic site, and no members of the public or prospective refugee applicants were harassed.
The department said the action underscored its commitment to enforcing immigration laws “without fear or favour,” adding that no individual or organisation was exempt from compliance.
“It also showcases the commitment that South Africa shares with the United States to combating illegal immigration and visa abuse in all its forms.”
It also noted that the “presence of foreign officials apparently coordinating with undocumented workers naturally raises serious questions about intent and diplomatic protocol.”
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has initiated formal diplomatic engagements with both the United States and Kenya to resolve this matter, the home office added.
Meanwhile, after reports of the raid emerged, U.S. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told U.S. media that “interfering” with U.S. refugee operations was “unacceptable”, adding that Washington was “seeking immediate clarification from the South African government and expects full cooperation and accountability.”
Since Trump took office again, ties between Washington and Pretoria have gotten worse. In addition to imposing 30% trade tariffs, expelling South Africa’s ambassador in March, and boycotting the country’s G20 summit in November, his administration has criticised South Africa on a number of domestic and international policy issues.
