South Africa has deported or repatriated more than 53,000 African immigrants in the space of a month in a crackdown by authorities that has coincided with a series of sometimes violent protests against illegal migration.
More than 80% of the immigrants sent home were from Malawi, South African Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said Sunday.
Officials did not give a breakdown of how many were deported and how many took up offers of voluntary repatriation.
Several African countries have provided planes and buses to bring their citizens home during a surge in anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa in recent months that has sparked some attacks against foreigners and left parts of the country on edge.
Police said they have arrested 350 people in connection with public violence, intimidation and unauthorized immigration checks — a trend where groups of South African civilians attempt to force migrants to show documents to prove they are in the country legally.
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