South Africa Deploys Security for June 30 Anti-Migrant Deadline It Won't Recognize

Xenophobic protest groups issued a June 30 ultimatum for undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa. Thousands departed before the date. Police tightened security nationwide despite authorities explicitly rejecting the deadline's legal standing. The government faces a bind: ignoring such ultimatums risks violence; acknowledging them lends them recognition. The caution reflects 2008 xenophobic riots that killed dozens and displaced tens of thousands.