BMA rejects claims that US deportees are sneaking into South Africa through informal crossings

Claims that deportees from the United States are being quietly released in Eswatini before crossing illegally into South Africa have been rejected by the Border Management Authority (BMA).

The allegations have circulated widely amid an already heated debate around immigration and border security in South Africa. However, the BMA says there is currently no evidence that deportees are entering the country through informal crossings.

The authority has also pushed back against suggestions that South Africa’s border with Eswatini is not properly secured.

BMA says borders remain under surveillance

The BMA said South Africa’s land Ports of Entry with Eswatini have access-control measures in place and are being monitored by officials.

It said its teams, together with other law enforcement agencies, maintain a presence at Ports of Entry across the country.

Border surveillance and enforcement operations are also carried out to detect unlawful entry, including the smuggling and trafficking of people.

The authority said anyone attempting to bypass an official Port of Entry could be detected and face enforcement action.

This is particularly relevant as concerns over undocumented migration continue to generate strong reactions on social media, where unverified claims can quickly spread before authorities have had an opportunity to establish the facts.

Where did the deportee claims come from?

The controversy follows reports concerning three third-country nationals who had been in Eswatini after being deported from the US.

Reports claimed that one of the deportees, a person from Laos, had been released in Eswatini and later travelled to Johannesburg through an informal border crossing.

The claims were subsequently amplified online, prompting questions about whether people deported from the US could be entering South Africa without going through formal immigration controls.

However, Eswatini’s government has disputed the allegations.

Eswatini denies releasing deportees into SA

According to the Eswatini government, the three foreign nationals were accepted into the kingdom under a bilateral arrangement with the United States.

The individuals were from Yemen, Belize and Laos.

Rather than being released to make their own way into South Africa, Eswatini said all three eventually requested to return to their respective countries.

The departures took place between September and October and were described by the government as voluntary repatriations carried out through established procedures and in cooperation with the relevant authorities.

Acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said the kingdom had followed the appropriate processes surrounding their departure.

What this means for South Africa

The BMA’s statement does not suggest that South Africa has no cases of people attempting to cross its borders outside official Ports of Entry. Instead, the authority is specifically rejecting the current claims that these particular deportees were released into South Africa through informal crossings.

The distinction is important, particularly as immigration remains a politically and socially sensitive issue in South Africa.

Department of International Relations and Cooperation spokesperson Clayson Monyela also pointed to the official Eswatini statement disputing the allegations.

Eswatini has maintained that reports suggesting the deportees were secretly released and allowed to enter South Africa illegally are false.

The kingdom also reiterated its commitment to protecting the dignity and rights of third-country nationals while balancing those responsibilities with national security concerns.

For now, the BMA says South Africa’s formal border controls remain in place and that authorities will continue monitoring and enforcing the country’s borders.

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Source: The Citizen