South Africa to Deport Seven Kenyans Linked to US Refugee Application

South Africa has announced plans to deport seven Kenyan nationals who were found working illegally in the U.S. refugee application processing.

According to South Africa’s immigration authorities, the Kenyans entered the country using tourist visas but later took up jobs linked to refugee case processing — something the government says is against the law. Earlier requests for work visas had already been rejected.

During the operation, two U.S. refugee officers were briefly held for questioning and later released. South Africa clarified that no U.S. officials were arrested.

The work is said to be connected to a refugee resettlement programme supported by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, focusing on white South Africans claiming racial persecution — a claim the South African government strongly disputes.

The programme is linked to policies under Donald Trump, whose administration has pushed for the resettlement of thousands of white South Africans to the U.S.

Processing in the region is reportedly handled by RSC Africa, a Kenya-based centre run by Church World Service.

The U.S. State Department criticised the raid, calling it “unacceptable”, while South Africa said the presence of foreign officials working with undocumented staff raised serious diplomatic concerns.

Relations between South Africa and the United States are already strained, and this incident is expected to worsen tensions further.

Meanwhile, Kenya said it is still gathering details on the matter.

Source: Reuters