U.S. deports 5 Kenyans, 67 Somalis over immigration issues

NAIROBI, May 12 (Xinhua) — Five Kenyans and 67 Somalis who were deported from the U.S. over immigration issues have arrived in the country.

Police and immigration officials said a private plane carrying the 72 deportees landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi early Friday.

Kenyan officials said deportations were likely given the ongoing operations in the United States targeting illegal immigrants.

This is the second batch of immigrants deported from America in five months.

In January, Kenyan officials said they were aware of the planned deportation of two of its nationals and 90 Somalis who arrived in the country on Jan. 26.

The East African nation has also clarified that the deportation of the Somalis and Kenyans from the U.S. had nothing to do with planned crackdown on illegal immigrants by the new administration.

The deportees who arrived in Nairobi and later to Mogadishu in Somalia said they were arrested and detained for a while in various U.S. cities over a number of issues including rejected asylum and criminal activities before they were deported.

The deportation came after President Donald Trump’s signed executive orders that include a temporary ban on most refugees and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria and six other Middle Eastern and African countries.

But a U.S. judge issued a stay temporarily halting the deportation of visa holders or refugees under the executive order.

The judge’s stay prevents those “caught up” in the aftermath from being deported. Countries affected by the executive orders are Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.