By TWV Team
Fifteen Kenyans, fourteen men and one woman have arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after being deported from the United States for breaching immigration laws. They were flown in on a chartered Omni Air flight (N486AX) and processed by officials from the Kenyan Immigration Department before being released to return home.
This deportation is part of a broader U.S. immigration crackdown, intensified under former President Donald Trump’s policies, targeting 1,282 Kenyans among 1,445,549 non-citizens from various countries as of 24 November 2024. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has focused on individuals who have overstayed visas or committed crimes, with Central American nations such as Honduras and Guatemala topping the list. African countries, including Ethiopia (1,713), Nigeria (3,690), and Somalia (4,090), also feature prominently.
Trump’s administration pushed for mass deportations, involving federal agencies and military support, alongside controversial proposals such as ending birthright citizenship. ICE describes these removals as routine enforcement actions targeting those without legal authorisation. Deportees may seek legal relief, such as asylum, and cannot be removed until legal proceedings are concluded.
The Kenyan government has not issued an official comment, but JKIA officials confirmed that due process was followed. The deportations have drawn criticism from human rights advocates, given the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants residing in the United States, which has a population of approximately 341 million.
