A Kenyan truck driver based in the United States has recounted how he was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a routine cargo trip, saying he spent more than three weeks in detention.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

James Wambui shared his experience during an online interview with a fellow U.S.-based Kenyan truck driver, urging fellow Kenyan drivers to remain vigilant while working on American roads.

“We need to take care of ourselves out there. It is not safe,” he warned while narrating the ordeal, which comes amid a crackdown on immigrants ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Wambui said the situation has left him unable to work and facing uncertainty as his immigration case continues, after spending nearly Ksh6.5 million ($50,000) out of pocket on legal fees.

📌 What You Need to Know

He said he had successfully passed a border patrol inspection after leaving Texas and completed a delivery and pick-up operation in New York before he was stopped in Middletown, Virginia, at a weigh station under the Department of Transportation while heading to South Carolina.

According to Wambui, a sheriff requested his logbook and licence before leaving the building and walking to the back, where he claims ICE officers were stationed.

Wambui alleged the sheriff handed his documents to ICE officers, who then arrested him. He claimed more than 40 other truck drivers who had also been stopped at the station were left behind.

He said he was then transferred to the Farmville Detention Center, six hours away in a rural area of Virginia, where he was held for three weeks as his immigration case continued.

The truck driver claimed he has spent almost Ksh6.5 million ($50,000) on legal representation and document filing.

He warned other immigrants against relying on court-appointed lawyers or signing documents without seeking independent legal advice.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke