Kenyans living in the United States could face heightened deportation risks following a new federal directive ordering stricter enforcement against non-citizens accused of illegal voting and immigration violations.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The directive, issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday, instructed immigration enforcement agencies to intensify removal proceedings against individuals found to have voted illegally or falsely claimed U.S. citizenship, offences that can trigger deportation even without a criminal conviction.

“A criminal conviction is not required to invoke these provisions. In light of the importance of these laws and their role in ensuring fair elections, I expect OPLA attorneys to invoke these provisions in removal proceedings to the maximum extent allowed by law,” the directives read in part.

The move comes amid an ongoing crackdown on immigration violations under the President Donald Trump administration, which has expanded its list of priority cases for detention and removal.

📌 What You Need to Know

Just a week earlier, DHS increased the number of Kenyans flagged for detention and deportation from 15 to 45, according to data published in a federal immigration enforcement database.

The individuals were listed in a portal dubbed the “Worst of the Worst,” which tracks undocumented immigrants arrested or convicted across various U.S. states, including details such as mugshots, countries of origin, and alleged offences.

A review of the database shows that the 45 Kenyans are linked to a range of serious crimes, including drug trafficking, armed robbery, homicide, assault, child molestation, fraud, kidnapping, and money laundering, among others.

The DHS said the database is intended to improve transparency and support enforcement efforts targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records.

The latest enforcement directive now adds another layer of scrutiny, focusing not only on criminal conduct but also on electoral offences such as illegal voting and false claims to citizenship.

U.S. officials argue that such violations undermine the integrity of the U.S. electoral system and justify removal proceedings under existing immigration law.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke