The United States has escalated diplomatic tensions with South Africa, warning of “severe consequences” following the alleged detention of U.S. officials and the public release of their passport details during a controversial immigration enforcement operation also involving Kenyans in Johannesburg.
In a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in South Africa on December 18, 2025, Washington said it “condemns in the strongest terms” the South African government’s actions, which it described as intimidation of American personnel engaged in official humanitarian duties of “support to Afrikaners.”
The embassy noted that “the public release of our U.S. officials’ passport information is an unacceptable form of harassment, warning that exposing personal identifying information placed U.S. officials “in harm’s way” and amounted to a direct threat to American government personnel operating legally abroad.
“This can only be seen as an attempt to intimidate U.S. government personnel in South Africa on official business. The United States will not tolerate such behavior toward its government’s officials – or toward any of its citizens – who are legally and peacefully operating abroad. The public release of personal identifying information puts the official in harm’s way,” the statement reads.
Washington further warned that Pretoria’s failure to act would carry consequences.
“Failure by the South African Government to hold those responsible accountable will result in severe consequences. We call on the Government of South Africa to take immediate action to bring this situation under control and hold those responsible accountable.”
South Africa rejects claims and defends deportations
In response, South Africa firmly denied the allegations, insisting that no U.S. officials were arrested and that recent deportations involving Kenyan nationals were carried out strictly within the law.
The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, in a statement issued, said that 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,” the ministry said.
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Addressing the U.S. claim that passport information of American officials had been released publicly, Pretoria dismissed the allegation as unsubstantiated.
International Relations Ministry Spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said that “South Africa treats all matters of data security with the utmost seriousness and operates under stringent legal and diplomatic protocols.”
The government “categorically rejected any suggestion of state involvement in such actions,” while confirming that diplomatic channels had been opened to address the issue.
“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,” the statement adds.
Kenyan workers at centre of diplomatic storm
The standoff follows the arrest and deportation of seven Kenyan nationals who were found working illegally at a centre processing refugee applications linked to a highly controversial U.S. resettlement programme exclusively targeting white Afrikaners.
The arrests, carried out on Tuesday, December 16, in Johannesburg, followed intelligence reports that the Kenyans had entered South Africa on tourist visas and subsequently taken up employment. According to authorities, previous applications for the same positions had already been denied.
The seven Kenyans have since been ordered deported and banned from re-entering South Africa for five years.
They were working at refugee processing centres run by Amerikaners, a group led by white South Africans, and RSC Africa, a Kenya-based refugee support organisation operated by Church World Service. The organisations handle applications under a U.S. programme initiated by President Donald Trump.
Also Read: 7 Kenyans Working on US Refugee Applications Arrested in South Africa
The U.S. State Department told CNN that “interfering in our refugee operations is unacceptable” and said it would seek immediate clarification from South African authorities. The media house had reported that two U.S. government employees were briefly detained during the operation, a claim South Africa disputes,
Pretoria, however, raised concerns over the presence of foreign officials coordinating with undocumented workers. South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said such conduct “raises serious questions about intent and diplomatic protocol.” It confirmed it had initiated formal engagements with both the United States and Kenya.
Trump’s Afrikaner Resettlement Programme
The incident has added fuel to already strained relations between Pretoria and Washington, which have deteriorated throughout 2025 over President Trump’s repeated and widely rejected claims that white South Africans face “genocide” and racial persecution.
Trump launched the resettlement programme in February through an executive order titled “Addressing Egregious Actions of The Republic of South Africa, cutting all U.S. aid to the country while prioritising Afrikaner refugees.
In September, Trump set a historic low refugee admissions ceiling of 7,500 for 2026, with most slots reserved for white South Africans.
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