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Controversial South African 'Security' Operation Nets 1,650 Undocumented Migrants

Human rights groups have criticized police raids that have resulted in 3,914 arrests and led to the deportation of more than 400 migrants from Mozambique.
Photo by Mike Hutchings/Reuters

As part of a crackdown on illegal immigrants following a string of deadly xenophobic attacks that tore through parts of South Africa in April, the country's law enforcement authorities have arrested 1,650 undocumented migrants during raids on hostels, churches, and apartment buildings that were coordinated over the last three weeks.

Operation Fiela comes on the heels of comments by President Jacob Zuma saying that authorities would ramp up efforts to root out illegal immigrants "while working to create a welcoming atmosphere for foreign nationals." Despite vocal criticism from human rights groups that officials are "harassing and arresting on a mass scale" and unfairly targeting migrants, the government has firmly denied this claim.

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"We categorically and publicly denounce that Operation Fiela is targeting foreign nationals," said Jeff Radebe, a minister to the president, on Sunday. "There is no mission to single out foreign nationals for Operation Fiela search and seizure operations. Our operations are intelligence-driven and will continue to target areas‚ buildings, and spaces which are known to be frequented by criminals."

Related: 'We Are Not Safe at All': Immigrants in South Africa Live in Fear Following Deadly Xenophobic Attacks

Zuma's administration has argued that eliminating crime and fostering public security is the crackdown's objective.

"This is an operation aimed at making our country safer to enable all people who live in our country to enjoy their freedoms in an environment that is free from crime," government spokesperson Phumla Williams said last week.

Officials announced the results of the operation on Sunday, revealing a total of 3,914 arrests while stressing that South Africans accounted for 2,264 of them. The government said that it would boost these efforts and work to protect foreign nationals and South African citizens from violence.

"We are satisfied that we have stabilized the situation and further loss of life has been prevented," the government said in a statement, referring to anti-immigrant violence that left at least seven dead. "Security agencies continue to work around the clock to protect both foreign nationals and South African citizens against any attacks."

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"We will, in the next weeks and months, accelerate our efforts to take back public buildings that have been hijacked, either by foreign nationals or by South Africans," the statement continued.

Related: Deadly Xenophobic Durban Riots Spread to Other South African Cities

The African National Congress (ANC), South Africa's ruling party, threw its support behind the efforts on Sunday.

ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said that the party leadership "appreciated the successes recorded by Operation Fiela to date, specifically the strides being made to discover and disarm those in our society with illegal and unlicensed firearms. That the operation has also brought to the fore immigrants who are in the country illegally should not be used to discredit the operation but rather as contributing to our efforts to regularize and document all people in South Africa."

Mobs of South Africans began attacking foreign nationals in the coastal city of Durban at the beginning of April, often claiming that immigrants had taken their jobs. The riots flared at a time when unemployment in the country sits at nearly 25 percent. The violence eventually spread to Johannesburg, the country's largest city, before simmering down. April's events invoked memories of similar xenophobic attacks in 2008 that left more than 60 dead.

As police raided areas known for housing migrants, hundreds have been deported, as many more wait to be expelled. More than 400 immigrants from Mozambique who were recently rounded up by police have been deported from South Africa, and another 427 migrants are expected to be sent away as well. When the initial waves of violence kicked off in Durban, Mozambique chartered buses to bring hundreds of its citizens back home.

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Some of the migrants arriving in Mozambique are reportedly being held at a repatriation site.

Related: 'How Can They Kill Us Like Chickens?': Pitched Battles Erupt in Durban After Weeks of Xenophobic Attacks

The citizens of various African countries like Zimbabwe and Malawi have reportedly been taken to South Africa's Lindela Repatriation Center, a massive holding center for the country's undocumented migrants.

While ANC officials have sided with the government on the crackdown, a legal group in the country has challenged the deportations. Last week, a group called the Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) filed a petition to stop 200 migrants from being expelled, claiming the individuals were unjustly targeted and entitled to legal assistance for their cases. The filing specifically referred to people arrested during a police raid of Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg on May 8. Roughly 400 immigrants were detained during the raid.

A court temporarily halted their deportations last week. LHR says that its staff is being granted access to all of the detainees who have been caught up in Operation Fiela.

Follow Kayla Ruble on Twitter: @RubleKB