Kenyans have been put on high alert about the prospect of living in the United States without proper documentation as immigration tensions between the U.S. government and undocumented immigrants threaten to boil over.
President Donald Trump's administration is taking a more aggressive and military approach to handling illegal immigration in a development that now poses life-threatening dangers to Kenyans in the West who lack proper documentation.
In the past week, Trump deployed at least 2,000 members of the California National Guard to Los Angeles after two days of intense protests against immigration raids.
The protests stemmed from a federal operation which led to the detention of more than 100 undocumented immigrants.
While the demonstrations initially started out peacefully, things quickly turned violent as immigration agents resorted to firing tear gas canisters and pepper spray to repel the irate crowd.
In the wake of escalating conflict between U.S. authorities and illegal immigrants, U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has gone a step further by threatening to involve the military in support of immigration enforcement efforts.
For Kenyans whose visas have expired or who entered the country illegally, this creates an additional layer of difficulties because, in addition to dealing with immigration officials, they will also have to deal with armed military personnel who will be patrolling neighbourhoods in states with the largest concentration of non-U.S. citizens.
To put things further into perspective, this essentially means raids can happen anywhere and at any time in homes, workplaces, or schools.
With the rising tensions, any minor resistance, misunderstanding, or a simple case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time could have potentially life-threatening implications.
The White House has justified the latest deployment as a necessary step to address what has been described as “lawlessness that has been allowed to fester”, particularly in cities governed by Democrats.
Los Angeles, which was the latest area where protests erupted, is home to a significant population of immigrants, most of whom are from Hispanic backgrounds.
The U.S.'s move has not come without resistance, as California Governor Gavin Newsom has publicly condemned the decision, saying a military-style approach will only serve to inflame tensions.
