Kenyans in the US on High Alert as Trump Resumes Harsh Deportation Flights
Kenyans living in the United States are once again facing deep anxiety after the Trump administration resumed deportation flights under its infamous third-country policy.
Trump’s Immigration Trump’s Immigration Storm: Over 1,200 Kenyans Face Imminent Deportation
“You don’t need to be a criminal anymore to be deported,” said Wanjiru Ndegwa, a Kenyan living in Texas. “Even visa overstayers and asylum seekers are now targets.”
In January, reports revealed that over 1,200 Kenyans had exhausted their legal appeals and were issued final deportation orders. Their fate now hangs by a thread.
“This is terrifying,” shared Joseph Otieno, a Kenyan student in Florida. “I came here to study and now I feel like a criminal just for overstaying my visa.”
Previously, individuals from Iran, Venezuela, Pakistan, and China were also deported to distant nations like Panama, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. The policy has already affected mixed-status families—where one member may be a U.S. citizen and another undocumented.
“We’re being treated like disposable baggage,” said Amina Noor, a Kenyan asylum seeker in Minnesota. “They don’t care where they send us—as long as we’re gone.”
From U.S. to Eswatini: Kenyans on Edge Over Forced Deportations”
One recent deportee, a 39-year-old man with Kenyan roots, broke down during a CNN interview after being deported to Jamaica—a country he’d never stepped foot in.
“I was born in the U.S. and my mom is Kenyan. But they just dumped me here. I feel stateless,” he said.
