The Department of Home Affairs has refuted claims that South African authorities arrested US officials during a raid at a refugee facility in Johannesburg.
Principal deputy spokesperson of the US State Department, Tommy Pigott, said the State Department wanted clarity from South Africa on what transpired, claiming that US officials were arrested.
“The Trump administration has consistently raised concerns about the treatment of Afrikaners in South Africa, including allegations of racial targeting, violence and the failure of authorities to adequately protect certain communities.
“We are seeking immediate clarification from the South African government and expect full cooperation and accountability. We’ll have more to say once all the facts are confirmed, but the Trump administration will always stand up for US interests, US personnel, and the rule of law. Interfering in our refugee operations is unacceptable,” Pigott said.
No US officials arrested
However, Home Affairs spokesperson Carli van Wyk said while seven Kenyans were arrested, no American officials were detained.
“The Department of Home Affairs, in collaboration with other arms of law enforcement, executed a routine, lawful operation in Johannesburg targeted at suspected violations of South African immigration law.
“The operation followed after intelligence reports indicated that a number of Kenyan nationals had recently entered South Africa on tourist visas and had illegally taken up work at a centre processing the applications of so-called ‘refugees’ to the United States,” Van Wyk said.
Kenyans arrested
Van Wyk said that 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.
“They were arrested and issued with deportation orders, and will be prohibited from entering South Africa again for a five-year period. No US officials were arrested in the process, the operation was not conducted at a diplomatic site and no members of the public or prospective ‘refugees’ were harassed.”
Engagement with US
Van Wyk said the operation reinforces Home Affairs’ commitment to enforcing the rule of law, as no person or entity is above these laws.
“It also showcases the commitment that South Africa shares with the United States to combating illegal immigration and visa abuse in all its forms. 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,” Van Wyk said.
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US/SA tensions
The incident marks an escalation in the already-tenuous relationship between the United States and South Africa, which has rejected the premise of the Trump administration’s push to admit white South Africans as refugees.
Trump has singled out South Africa for harsh treatment on several issues since he returned to the White House in January, notably making debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country.
He ambushed Ramaphosa in the Oval Office earlier this year, playing a video in which he alleged a campaign against white farmers by the post-apartheid government.
Trump, who proved to be a political rottweiler for Afrikaners and white farmers, shifted the focus from what began as a cordial discussion with President Cyril Ramaphosa but veered sharply off course to farm attacks in South Africa.
In May, Trump offered Afrikaners refugee status, with the first group of around 50 flown to the US on a chartered plane.
South Africa criticised the decision by the US to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been widely discredited and lack reliable evidence.
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Afrikaner refugees
In November, the US State department said Trump has “prioritised” refugee admissions for Afrikaners.
The State Department was responding to a request for comment from The Citizen after University of Pretoria historian Dr Lindie Koorts claimed that the US does not care about Afrikaners and fears it may no longer have a white majority by 2050.
Koorts made the comments after a group of Afrikaans-speaking South Africans authored and co-signed an article, “Not in our Name: Afrikaners Respond to the Misuse of Their Story in US Politics”, published in October.
In their response, the group said they “reject the US narrative that casts Afrikaners as victims of racial persecution in post-apartheid South Africa”.
This year, the US set an annual limit of 7 500 refugees, the majority of whom are white South Africans, slashing last year’s ceiling of 125 000 and excluding some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
Almost all refugees have been blocked from entering the US, with the exception of white South Africans, during Trump’s second term.
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