Hundreds of Kenyans in U.S. on Edge as Trump Targets Green Card Holders

Hundreds of Kenyans living in the United States are anxiously watching from afar as the Donald Trump administration rolls out a sweeping audit targeting older Green Card holders.

The review, being carried out by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, is reassessing the residency status of long-time permanent residents, with deportation looming as a possible outcome, according to reporting by The New York Times.

By the first week of May 2026, the Department of Homeland Security had flagged at least 50 Green Card holders for deportation through a newly created unit tasked with combing through past cases.

Out of roughly 2,890 cases reviewed or still being assessed as of May 7, about 80 per cent were cleared and required no further action, while more than 500 remained under scrutiny.

The audit comes against the backdrop of a staggering 11 million immigration applications still pending before USCIS, with the Trump administration pledging to revisit Green Cards issued under the Biden administration to weed out anyone deemed undeserving.

USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler said the re-vetting was focused on individuals previously arrested or convicted of offences such as sexual assault, domestic violence, driving under the influence and drug-related crimes.

Kahler added that some of those flagged were accused of lying on their Green Card applications.

However, immigration experts have dismissed the exercise as largely symbolic, arguing that Green Cards are only issued after extensive background checks and that the low number of suspicious cases proves the original vetting was thorough.

The newly established Tactical Operations Division, led by Daniel Andrade, oversees the re-vetting effort and houses several sub-units, including LPR Operations, Denaturalisation and Refugee Re-vetting, with about 40 officers dedicated solely to reviewing past approvals.

Under U.S. immigration law, Green Card holders can be stripped of their status and deported if convicted of a crime or found to have obtained residency through fraud, although they are generally entitled to a hearing before an immigration judge.

For Kenyans, the stakes are significant, in 2022 alone, 5,014 Kenyans received Green Cards, placing the country 37th out of 126 nations benefiting from U.S. permanent residency, largely through the Diversity Visa lottery programme.

The DV programme, created under the Immigration Act of 1990, offers up to 55,000 visas annually and has remained one of the most accessible pathways for Kenyans, who must complete a residency application and undergo a mandatory interview at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi before being cleared to settle in the United States.