Kenyan Man ‘Self-Deports’ From U.S. After 16 Years Amid Immigration Fears

A Kenyan man has made the difficult decision to voluntarily leave the United States ending a 16-year chapter motivated by fears of heightened immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.

Samuel Kangethe, a father of three and former accountant for the State of Michigan, first arrived in the U.S. in 2009 on a student visa.

He attended Lansing Community College before transferring to Norwood University.

A few years later, he married and became a conditional resident.

However, U.S. immigration authorities continued to dispute the legitimacy of his marriage, leaving him embroiled in a court case that dragged on for years without resolution.

The case disappeared from the court docket without a ruling, and administrative delays compounded by COVID disruptions left Kangethe living in perpetual uncertainty.

With Trump’s administration intensifying efforts against undocumented immigrants, Kangethe felt increasingly targeted.

“A person like me with a case in the court, I check all the boxes of people they will start with,” he explained.

After divorcing, Kangethe remarried this time to an American citizen and the couple has now been together for seven years. Yet, living in the U.S. under the specter of instability proved untenable.

“People say, ‘Oh, all you need to do is lay low.’ I ask, what does that even mean? Does ‘lay low’ mean I can’t take my kids to their games, orchestra concerts, or their first day of school, like I always have?” Kangethe shared.

Ultimately, he decided that leaving voluntarily was the best way to protect his children, even if it meant separating the family.

His wife and children remain in the U.S. legally and now face the uncertainty of living apart for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration recently rolled out a policy offering incentives for voluntary departures.

In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced payments of up to sh 129,000, plus the cost of flights, to unlawful immigrants willing to “self-deport.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem encouraged participants to apply via the CBP Home app.

For Kangethe, choosing to leave the U.S. was not about giving up it was a decision grounded in responsibility, love, and the hope of reunification on his own terms.