Mel and Peet Viljoen in ICE detention – will they be deported?
· The South African
Real Housewives reality TV stars Mel and Peet Viljoen have been booked into a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
This comes shortly after their arrest for grand retail theft after shoplifting more than $5 000 worth of groceries from a supermarket in Florida.
The controversial couple claimed that they had sought asylum in the US after becoming victims of “racial discrimination”. It has since been revealed that they overstayed their tourist visa.
MEL AND PEET VILJOEN IN ICE CUSTODY
According to reports, Mel and Peet Viljoen were picked up by ICE officials while in police custody after their shoplifting arrest last week.
The ICE website confirms that Peet – a disbarred South African attorney -is currently in custody at Florida Soft Side South detention centre, casually known as “Aligator Alcatraz”.
Mel – who appeared on Real Housewives of Pretoria and the Ultimate Girls Trip – is being held at the Broward Transition Centre.
Early last year, Mel and Peet Viljoen revealed that they had relocated to the US to start a new chapter. However, the couple did not disclose that they were on a tourist visa, which permits them to remain in the country for only 6 months at a time.
Peet & Mel Viljoen’s legal troubles in Florida just keep escalating🚨
— Bianca van Wyk (@BiancavanWyk16) March 16, 2026
Already jailed in Boca Raton on grand retail theft charges with $10k bail each, the couple were suddenly handed over to ICE on Friday the 13th after authorities discovered they were in the U.S. on tourist… pic.twitter.com/56cAVYUlkw
COULD THEY BE DEPORTED?
According to ICE, non-US citizens are detained in circumstances to secure their presence for immigration proceedings or removal from the US. Illegal immigrants with criminal convictions, who are deemed a flight risk or national security risk, undergo mandatory detention.
Will Mel and Peet Viljoen be deported to South Africa?
Boca Raton police stated that “ICE will now determine if the Viljoens are in the country illegally. If they are….it could lead to a more severe sentence”.
Bodycam footage of Mel and Peet Viljoen’s arrest.Images via YouTube screenshot
Dr Llewelyn Curlewis, an attorney and senior lecturer in criminal and procedural law at the University of Pretoria, told The Citizen: “Depending on what punishment is given, they can deport you immediately if they want to save money instead of keeping you there.
“Or they can first insist that you serve your sentence and, after you have served it, deport you back to your country of origin.
“All of those options are possible”.
Mel and Peet Viljoen could face the music in both the US and South Africa.
He continued: “It is a prerogative within that country’s discretion.
“Usually, you have to serve your sentence for a while first because they make an example of you and have deterrent value to future foreign criminals.”