David Bariu, a Kenyan who served in the US military opened up about his struggles after being deported from the US despite serving in the US Army.
The US veteran in an interview with ABC Action News on Wednesday revealed that he was recruited in 1998 and travelled to the US on a student visa before joining the military and then the Air Force Reserve.
During the recruitment, Bariu was promised US citizenship, among other benefits. He was recruited among other Kenyans who also travelled to the US.
"I was born in Nairobi, Kenya. I came here to further my education," he told the publication.
He served for a couple of years before his recruiter was court marshalled. After this happened, Bariu and other recruits were accused of being in the country illegally.
While narrating his plight, the military man revealed that several other African recruits serving in the American military were also charged with the same offence.
Bariu, however, dismissed these allegations adding that the recruiter approached him and other Africans to fill his quota.
"My recruiter was fraudulently recruiting internationals to meet his quota to meet his margins," Bariu remarked.
This discovery led to Bariu's deportation from the US alongside other recruits. His military certifications and other documentation were also revoked.
Before being deported, the man spent months at the Texas Detention Centre while attempting to appeal the decision. He was however unsuccessful and came to Kenya in 2007.
"It's difficult to explain what reasoning they used to justify my deportation. It didn't make sense, I was young. I did not know if they were trying to make me give up."
"I don't if they were trying to radicalise me and make me fight the system or say bad things about the United States," he added.
He stayed in Kenya until 2022 before getting yet another opportunity to travel to the US under a different program, the Immigrant Military Member Veterans Initiative.
Bariu revealed that his situation was similar to other US veterans who were deported unceremoniously. He seized the opportunity to call upon the US government to intervene in the matter.
