South African authorities have arrested seven Kenyan nationals and are preparing to deport them for allegedly working illegally on the processing of U.S. refugee applications, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced.
In a statement, the ministry said the Kenyans entered South Africa on tourist visas but unlawfully took up employment at a refugee processing centre linked to a U.S. resettlement programme.
Officials noted that prior visa applications submitted on behalf of Kenyan nationals to carry out this work had been formally denied.
The arrests were carried out during a targeted operation on Tuesday, after which the seven individuals were issued deportation orders.
The incident is connected to a controversial U.S. refugee resettlement programme initiated this year under President Donald Trump’s administration, which seeks to relocate thousands of white South Africans to the United States.
The programme is based on claims that white South Africans face racial persecution—an assertion the South African government has strongly and repeatedly rejected.
According to the U.S. Embassy website, refugee processing in South Africa is being conducted by Amerikaners, a group led by white South Africans, alongside RSC Africa, a Kenya-based refugee support centre operated by Church World Service.
CNN reported that two U.S. government employees were briefly detained during the operation before being released. However, South Africa’s Home Affairs Ministry firmly denied that any U.S. officials were arrested.
“The presence of foreign officials apparently coordinating with undocumented workers naturally raises serious questions about intent and diplomatic protocol,” the ministry said.
It added that South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation has initiated formal diplomatic engagements with both the United States and Kenya to address the matter.
The episode is expected to further strain already tense relations between Washington and Pretoria.
During his second term, President Trump has repeatedly made disputed claims about South Africa’s treatment of its white minority, citing them as justification for cutting U.S. aid and sidelining South Africa from certain G20 engagements.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, a State Department spokesperson quoted by CNN described any interference in U.S. refugee operations as “unacceptable” and said Washington would seek immediate clarification from the South African government.
RSC Africa could not be reached for comment, while a spokesperson for Kenya’s foreign ministry said she was not yet aware of the incident but would investigate.
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