The United States has warned of “severe consequences” as South Africa defends the deportation of Kenyan nationals and denied wrongdoing following a raid on a Johannesburg facility processing US-bound refugees. The South African government says the recent deportation of seven Kenyan nationals by the Department of Home Affairs was conducted in strict accordance with South African immigration law. “These individuals were engaged in work without the necessary work permits.
The government will not negotiate its sovereignty and the implementation of the rule of law,” said Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) in Pretoria. IOL reported on Wednesday that the Department of Home Affairs had arrested seven Kenyan nationalsfor illegally working in South Africa while in possession of tourist visas, following an intelligence-driven operation in Johannesburg. According to a media statement issued on Wednesday, the operation was conducted in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies after intelligence reports indicated that Kenyan nationals had recently entered South Africa on tourist visas and taken up employment at a centre processing applications for “refugees” to the United States.
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. The seven Kenyan nationals were arrested, issued with deportation orders and will be barred from re-entering South Africa for a period of five years. On Thursday evening, Dirco said it had also noted what it described as an unsubstantiated allegation regarding the leaking of private information belonging to United States officials following the Johannesburg operation.
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“South Africa treats all matters of data security with the utmost seriousness and operates under stringent legal and diplomatic protocols. We categorically reject any suggestion of state involvement in such actions,” said Phiri. “Nonetheless, we remain committed to principled and transparent diplomacy. Official channels have been opened with the United States government to seek clarity on this allegation and to reinforce that our bilateral engagements must be grounded in mutual respect and factual dialogue.”
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