Nairobi, Kenya- South Africa has arrested seven Kenyan nationals and moved to deport them after accusing the group of illegally working on refugee application processing linked to the United States government, an incident that has triggered fresh diplomatic friction between Pretoria and Washington.
According to South Africa’s Ministry of Home Affairs, the Kenyans were apprehended during an operation on Tuesday after authorities established that they had entered the country on tourist visas but were actively employed at a refugee processing centre.
The ministry said the individuals had taken up work unlawfully, despite earlier visa applications for Kenyan nationals to undertake the same roles having been denied.
The arrests were carried out at a facility associated with refugee case processing for the U.S. resettlement programme.
Case processing in South Africa is handled by RSC Africa, a Kenya-based refugee support centre operated by Church World Service, according to information published on the U.S. embassy website.
During the operation, two officers from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) were briefly detained before being released.
South African authorities insisted that no U.S. officials were arrested. USCIS did not immediately comment on the incident.
However, the U.S. State Department reacted strongly, terming the raid “unacceptable.” In a statement, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Washington was seeking immediate clarification from the South African government and expected full cooperation.
“We will always stand up for U.S. interests, U.S. personnel, and the rule of law. Interfering in our refugee operations is unacceptable,” Pigott said, adding that further comment would follow once all facts were established.
The incident comes against the backdrop of already strained relations between South Africa and the United States.
President Donald Trump’s administration has in recent months pushed a controversial resettlement programme aimed at relocating thousands of white South Africans to the U.S., citing claims of racial persecution. Pretoria has strongly rejected these allegations as unfounded.
South Africa’s government said it had initiated formal diplomatic engagements with both the United States and Kenya to resolve the matter.
In its statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs raised concerns about “foreign officials apparently coordinating with undocumented workers,” saying this posed serious questions about intent and diplomatic protocol.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was yet to receive full details of the incident but would seek clarification.
