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By:
Moses Michira | |||||||||
| Posted:
Nov,16-2016 20:06:36
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More than 30,000 Kenyan citizens illegally in the US could be on their way home if President-elect Donald Trump makes good his campaign threat to deport illegal immigrants.
Also, beneficiaries of Government support programmes to fight diseases such as HIV and Aids and starvation could be exposed in Mr Trump's lacklustre foreign policy for Africa.
And back home, it could mean the end of the road for thousands of young people from poor backgrounds hoping to study in the US under Government scholarships, which the incoming President has sworn to eliminate immediately he takes office.
Trump, who registered a landslide victory against his main rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, has ruled out offering a path to citizenship for unauthorised immigrants.
His tough immigration policy means that the large number of Kenyans, making up a 10th of the unauthorised settlers from sub-Saharan Africa in the US, will be sent back home. "For those here illegally and are seeking legal status, they will have one route and only one route; to return home and apply for re-entry under the rules of the new legal immigration system," Trump said on his campaign trail. He has been quoted by American media as having repeated this stance after clinching victory yesterday. Discussions on social media platforms among people thought to be unauthorised Kenyans living in the US point to panic and anxiety. The elimination of unauthorised immigrants, most of whom entered the US through student or visiting visas that have since expired, is top on Trump's agenda to "Make America Great Again". A special deportation force would be put together in the initial days following his swearing-in and inauguration scheduled for January 20, 2017. At least 11 million undocumented immigrants, more than half from neighbouring Mexico, are expected to be flown to their countries of birth. Kenya is among the countries that have significant immigrant populations in the US at over 90,000 by 2014, a third of whom are illegal immigrants. This is according to findings presented by Pew Research Centre. About 80 large commercial passenger jets will be required to return prospective deportees to Kenya; their number exceeds the capacity of Nyayo National Stadium. A more recent study released by the same firm in September showed that Kenyans contributed the third largest portion of illegal immigrants in the small state of Delaware, after Mexico and India. It reported that eight per cent of the illegal immigrants were Kenyan, half from Mexico and a quarter from India. Automatic citizenship The deportation, which Trump has vowed to execute at the cost of the subjects, could have far-reaching implications for families considering that any children born on US soil qualify for automatic citizenship. Kenyan citizens living in the US are a major source of remittances sent to support families back home, estimated at Sh60 billion from the US and Canada in 2015 alone. New concerns may also arise from the trade policy position taken by Trump who has said he would, on taking office, scrap several pacts, which he feels are detrimental to the US economy. Of interest to Kenya would be the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (Agoa), which grants poor countries from the continent quota-free and duty-free access to the US market. Trade Permanent Secretary Chris Kiptoo yesterday said the Trump presidency was unlikely to alter Agoa in its current form given that it was initiated by President George Bush who is a fellow Republican. "I see the delay of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) as a major plus for Kenya," Dr Kiptoo said, citing that the decision locked out potential competition from countries like Vietnam, which also produces textiles and apparel. | |||||||||
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