Life for many Kenyan refugees living in the United States has taken an unexpected turn after new directives from the Trump administration signaled a tougher immigration environment. What had seemed like a stable path toward permanent residence has now become uncertain, leaving thousands of individuals from Kenya and other countries anxious about what lies ahead.
The latest move by U.S. authorities has created serious concern among those who arrived during Joe Biden’s presidency, especially those who came from refugee camps in Kenya after long periods of struggle.
The new directive follows an internal memo signed by Joe Edlow, the Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
In the memo, the agency orders a sweeping review of more than 200,000 refugees who entered the country between January 20, 2021 and February 20, 2025. All these refugees must undergo new interviews and a fresh round of strict vetting to check whether they still meet the requirements for refugee protection.
For many of the affected individuals, this means repeating a process they believed they had already completed successfully before being allowed into the United States.
The memo also goes further by ordering a stop to the processing of permanent residence applications submitted by refugees who arrived during Biden’s period in office.
This halt is expected to affect many Kenyans who left Dadaab and Kakuma camps hoping for a better future in the U.S.
A large number had already started working toward citizenship, which usually comes after years of living legally in the country. These hopes have now been disrupted as their entire status is put under review.
Kenya has long been one of Africa’s main departure points for refugee resettlement abroad. UNHCR records show that in 2022 alone, Kenya submitted 3,692 refugees for resettlement, many of whom were taken in by the United States.
In 2023, more than 2,800 refugees left Kenya for opportunities in the U.S., with a majority coming from Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi, although they had been living in Kenyan camps for years.
Anyone within this group who arrived in the United States between 2021 and 2025 will now face the new review process ordered by the Trump administration.
One of the reasons given for this fresh scrutiny is that the new administration believes Biden’s government may have focused more on accepting higher numbers of refugees rather than ensuring extremely thorough vetting.
Because of this concern, USCIS now plans to conduct more detailed re-interviews on every case file from that time. Refugees have also been warned that their status could be removed if officers conclude that they no longer meet the legal criteria for protection.
The fear for many Kenyans is that the re-interview process might expose inconsistencies in their paperwork from the time they lived in Kenya, which could place them at risk of deportation. For individuals who left harsh conditions in Dadaab, Kakuma, or urban settlements, returning home is not an option they can imagine.
The new policy has therefore introduced emotional and legal pressure, forcing many families to prepare for outcomes they hoped they would never face.
