South African authorities on Wednesday said they had arrested seven Kenyan nationals working illegally on the processing of refugee applications for the United States government and would proceed with their deportation.
President Donald Trump’s administration aims to bring thousands of white South Africans to the United States under a resettlement programme it started this year, based on claims that they are victims of racial persecution.
However, South Africa’s government strongly denies this.
According to the U.S. embassy website, processing for the refugee programme in South Africa is being done by Amerikaners, a group led by white South Africans, and RSC Africa, a Kenya-based refugee support centre operated by Church World Service.
South Africa’s Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement that the Kenyans had entered South Africa on tourist visas and illegally taken up work at a processing centre, despite the fact that earlier visa applications for Kenyan nationals to do this work had been denied.
The seven were arrested during an operation on Tuesday and issued with deportation orders, it said.
In a formal Presidential Determination dated 30 September 2025, published in the Federal Register, President Donald Trump set a ceiling of 7,500 refugees for the 2026 fiscal year — the lowest limit in US history — and directed that most of those places be reserved for Afrikaners from South Africa.
On Wednesday, the Department of Home Affairs said applications submitted for Kenyan nationals to legally perform the work of vetting US-bound refugees in South Africa had previously been declined, yet the individuals were found engaging in employment in violation of their visa conditions.
South Africa Home Affairs office stressed that no United States officials were arrested during the operation, which was not conducted at a diplomatic site. The department also said no members of the public or prospective “refugees” were harassed.
