US immigration officers reassigned to screen South African refugees and find ‘unlawful’ voters

Voters cast their ballots on primary election day, 11 August 2026, at the Richmond town hall in Delavan, Wisconsin. Photograph: Kayla Wolf/AP

All US immigration officers working for a key anti-fraud unit have been reassigned by the Trump administration to focus on screening South African refugees and alleged “unlawful” voters.

Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) immigration officers have been shifted full-time on to two “high-priority” initiatives, according to internal correspondence seen by the Guardian, leaving US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unable to provide officers to train asylum officers in “the near future”.