Following their high-profile arrest in the United States on shoplifting charges earlier this month, it has emerged that Peet and Mel Viljoen have now been transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
It emerged that their US visitors’ visas reportedly expired a few months ago already.
They were in the US on a B-2 visa, which allows for tourism and leisure. That expired on 24 November 2025, meaning they were in the US illegally upon their arrest.
The Viljoen couple was arrested in Florida on 10 March, on accusations that they had been running a supermarket theft scheme.
The Real Housewives of Pretoria stars, who courted controversy in South Africa before seemingly making a hasty exit to America, were apprehended at a traffic stop involving their black Range Rover.
This was after investigators linked the vehicle to multiple alleged theft incidents at a local Publix supermarket. Police claim the couple stole more than $5,300 worth of groceries from a Publix store on South Federal Highway through a tactic known as “ticket-switching” at self-checkout counters.
Among the hundreds of items they allegedly swiped were La Marca Prosecco sparkling wine, San Pellegrino sparkling mineral water, Maison Perrier flavoured sparkling water, and Coca-Cola Zero.
Bodycam footage showed the arrests of the husband and wife duo.
While they were initially booked at the Main Detention Centre in West Palm Beach, and bail was set at $10,000 each, court records have confirmed they’ve since been transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
Mel is being held at the Broward Transitional Center, and Peet is being held at the Florida Soft Side South facility, known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Amnesty International recently released a research report on “Alligator Alcatraz”, alleging that people detained there were living in inhuman and unsanitary conditions, including overflowing toilets with fecal matter seeping into where people are sleeping, limited access to showers, exposure to insects without protective measures, and lights on 24 hours a day.
Meanwhile, a local legal expert says it is likely that the Viljoens will be deported back to South Africa, but they will first have to go through the legal system in the US.
Dr Llewelyn Curlewis told The Citizen that if found guilty, the US could wait until the couple had served part of a sentence before sending them back to South Africa.
