Trump’s Green Card Crackdown Sparks Panic Among Kenyans in US as Deportation Fears Grow
Hundreds of Kenyans living in the United States are facing growing anxiety after the administration of Donald Trump launched a sweeping review of older Green Card approvals, triggering fears that some long-time residents could now face deportation.
The controversial audit, being conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, is targeting lawful permanent residents whose immigration files are being re-examined years after they were granted residency status.
According to reports first highlighted by The New York Times, the exercise is part of a broader immigration crackdown ordered under the Trump administration’s renewed push to tighten oversight of legal migration pathways and revisit approvals made during the administration of former President Joe Biden.
By the first week of May 2026, the Department of Homeland Security had reportedly identified at least 50 Green Card holders for possible deportation after a newly established enforcement team began combing through historical immigration files.
Officials disclosed that approximately 2,890 Green Card cases had either been reviewed or were still undergoing assessment as of May 7. While nearly 80 per cent of those examined were cleared without further action, more than 500 cases remained under active scrutiny.
The Trump administration has defended the operation as a national security and public safety measure, insisting the aim is to identify individuals who may have concealed criminal histories or obtained residency fraudulently.
USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler said the re-vetting process focused primarily on permanent residents previously arrested or convicted of offences including sexual assault, domestic violence, driving under the influence and drug-related crimes.
Kahler also claimed some Green Card holders under investigation were suspected of providing false information during the application process.
“The integrity of America’s immigration system depends on ensuring that those granted permanent residency obtained it lawfully and continue to meet eligibility standards,” Kahler reportedly said.
But immigration lawyers and policy experts have sharply criticised the initiative, branding it a politically charged operation designed to create fear among immigrant communities ahead of the U.S. election season.
Critics argue that Green Card applicants already undergo extensive background screening, biometric checks and in-person interviews before approval, making the discovery of relatively few problematic cases evidence that the existing system largely works.
The review is being overseen by the newly formed Tactical Operations Division, headed by immigration official Daniel Andrade. The division includes specialised units dealing with denaturalisation, refugee re-vetting and lawful permanent resident investigations, with roughly 40 officers assigned specifically to re-open previously approved Green Card cases.
Under U.S. immigration law, permanent residents can lose their Green Cards if they are convicted of serious crimes, violate immigration rules or are found to have obtained residency through fraud. However, affected individuals are generally entitled to appear before an immigration judge before deportation proceedings can move forward.
For Kenyans, the development carries major implications.
Thousands of Kenyans have relocated to the United States over the years through family sponsorships, employment visas and the Diversity Visa programme — popularly known as the Green Card lottery.
Data from the U.S. government shows that 5,014 Kenyans received Green Cards in 2022 alone, making Kenya the 37th-largest beneficiary country out of 126 nations whose citizens obtained permanent U.S. residency that year.
The Diversity Visa programme, established under the Immigration Act of 1990, allocates up to 55,000 immigrant visas annually to countries with historically low migration rates to the United States.
For many Kenyans, it has long represented one of the most realistic opportunities to settle and work in America legally.
Applicants selected through the programme must undergo a detailed vetting process, including background investigations, medical examinations and mandatory interviews at the U.S. Embassy Nairobi before visas are approved.
Now, however, many immigrants who believed their status was secure are nervously watching developments unfold, fearing that even decades-old cases could suddenly be reopened under Trump’s intensified immigration agenda.
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