7 Kenyans Working on US Refugee Applications Arrested in South Africa
South African authorities have arrested seven Kenyan nationals for illegally working on the processing of refugee applications to the United States.
In a media statement issued on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs said the arrests followed a routine, lawful operation conducted in Johannesburg on Tuesday after intelligence reports indicated that Kenyan nationals had entered the country on tourist visas and taken up employment in violation of immigration laws.
According to the department, the individuals were working at a centre that processed applications for so-called “refugees” seeking resettlement in the United States. However, earlier visa applications for Kenyan nationals to perform this work had been lawfully declined.
Deportation proceedings for the arrested individuals are now underway, and they will be barred from re-entering South Africa for five years.
“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.”
The department emphasized that no U.S. officials were arrested, the operation was not conducted at a diplomatic site, and that no members of the public or prospective refugees were harassed.
It added that the operation was carried out in line with procedures that have seen deportations intensified over the past 18 months.
The arrests come amid heightened sensitivity around a U.S. refugee resettlement programme linked to claims that white South Africans face racial persecution—claims that South Africa’s government has strongly denied.
According to the U.S. embassy website, processing for the programme in South Africa is being handled by Amerikaners, a group led by white South Africans, and RSC Africa, a Kenya-based refugee support centre operated by Church World Service.
Media reports said the seven Kenyans were arrested on Tuesday and would be deported. CNN also reported that two U.S. government employees were briefly held and later released, though the South African government denied this.
South Africa denies arresting American nationals
In its statement, Home Affairs said the presence of foreign officials “apparently coordinating with undocumented workers” raised “serious questions about intent and diplomatic protocol.”
It confirmed that the Department of International Relations and Cooperation had initiated formal diplomatic engagements with both the United States and Kenya to address the matter.
A State Department spokesperson quoted by CNN said that “interfering in our refugee operations is unacceptable” and that the U.S. government would seek immediate clarification from South Africa.
The South African government has, in the past, opposed the plans to grant Afrikaners refugee status to travel to the U.S.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya dismissed the statement by the U.S. Mission to South Africa, which said that admissions for Afrikaners are consistent with President Trump’s executive order on addressing the egregious actions of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration, stating that none of their citizens can be classified as refugees.
