By Oluchi Omai
The US State Department on Thursday sharply criticised the South African government for detaining American officials and publishing their personal passport details. In a statement, Washington said it “condemned the recent detention of US officials in South Africa, who it said were providing support to Afrikaners”. The statement added that the public release of those officials’ passport information was “an unacceptable form of harassment”. The US described the passport leak – essentially a form of doxing – as an attempt to intimidate US personnel, saying it would not tolerate such behaviour.
The incident stems from a police raid in Johannesburg on 17 December at a refugee processing centre that handles applications under a US resettlement programme for white Afrikaners. South Africa’s Home Affairs ministry says it arrested seven Kenyan nationals working on tourist visas and will deport them. American officials report that two US Citizenship and Immigration Services officers were briefly detained and then released during the operation. These officers had been helping administer a Trump-era programme to bring thousands of white South Africans (Afrikaners) to the US as refugees. Pretoria strongly denies that white farmers face persecution, insisting the scheme is based on misinformation.
Washington’s response reflects growing strains in the bilateral relationship. Even before the media note, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott had demanded answers from Pretoria. He said the US was “seeking immediate clarification from the South African government and expect[ed] full cooperation and accountability”. Pigott warned that the Trump administration “will always stand up for US interests, US personnel, and the rule of law,” and stressed that “interfering in our refugee operations is unacceptable”. A State Department official had already branded the raid as “unacceptable”.
South African authorities have defended the operation. Home Affairs stated that the detained Kenyans had entered on tourist visas and unlawfully performed work at the centre, and it insisted that “no US officials were arrested”. The foreign ministry said the involvement of foreign officials alongside undocumented workers “raises serious questions about intent and diplomatic protocol”, and it has opened formal talks with both the US and Kenyan governments to resolve the dispute.
The episode has unfolded against a backdrop of diplomatic tension. President Trump’s administration has repeatedly accused South Africa of anti-white bias and even cut aid and boycotted summits over these claims. In its latest statement, Washington warned that Pretoria must address the incident. The State Department “call[ed] on the Government of South Africa to take immediate action” to stabilise the situation and ensure those responsible are held “accountable”.
Sources: Official US State Department statement and contemporary news reports
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