Reports of Namibia deporting 500 Americans are FALSE
Several viral articles claim the Namibian Presidency ordered the deportation of 500 Americans. The Namibian government has issued no such directive, and credible Namibian and international outlets have not reported it.
The claim
Several viral news reports on the internet claim that the Namibian Presidency has issued an order for the deportation of 500 Americans in Namibia. This claim has been widely shared on social media. Most of the posts shared this quote: "if Africans need visa to enter the USA, then Americans must also need visa to enter Namibia."
What we found
On April 01, 2025, the Namibian government implemented a new visa policy which requires nationals of 33 countries, including the United States of America, to obtain a visa to enter Namibia.
The Namibian Government's decision to impose visa requirements for nationals of countries that have not granted reciprocal visa exemption to Namibian passport holders.
Shortly after this new policy, viral claims of a mass deportation of Americans in Namibia started making rounds on social media. However, the Namibian Presidency, in a post on X, refuted claims that it was deporting 500 US citizens from Namibia. The Presidency described the news as "fake news".
They also clarified in a press release shared on its official X account that the viral posts on the deportation of Americans "feature fabricated quotes and images containing misinformation and disinformation intended to tarnish the image of the President and to create potential diplomatic embarrassment".
Verdict
The Namibian Presidency has officially denied ordering any deportation of Americans. The viral claims originated from low-credibility content farms. We rate this claim FALSE.
