Home Affairs deports seven Kenyans following unauthorised asylum sting

The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed the deportation of several Kenyan nationals following a sting operation in Johannesburg on Tuesday. The group was allegedly processing applications for South Africans seeking asylum in the United States.

Deputy Director-General Thulani Mavuso addressed reports surrounding the raid, which took place at an undisclosed location. He clarified that, contrary to certain claims, no United States citizens or officials were apprehended during the operation.

READ: 7 Kenyans netted for processing 'refugee' applications for US asylum seekers

Mavuso explained that initial confusion may have stemmed from the fact that those arrested did not have their identification documents immediately available.

"They presented those documents within an hour when our law enforcement asked them to present those documents. At a later stage, they were presented, and there was no US official that was detained or arrested. That’s far from the truth."

According to Mavuso, the seven Kenyan nationals involved had previously applied for visas to conduct volunteer work in South Africa but failed to meet the necessary criteria. While the United States utilises the Church World Service network—which operates out of Kenya—to assist with its refugee programs, these specific individuals were found to be in the country on tourist visas.

"They are apprehended for the purposes of deportation, and they’ve since left the country and we just left with one who will be leaving soon," said Mavuso. "The reality is that they were working without necessary documentation in clear violation of our immigration laws."