Ask HN: I Got Deported from USA to Kenya | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: I Got Deported from USA to Kenya

45 pointsabdinba71 comments

I was sent to Somalia when deported but came to Kenya thankful with a little bit of money from my mom to help me move out of Somalia. I'm homeless in Kenya.

I would like to get into UK I have aunt that lives there

anything I can do? I'm struggling I've lived in Seattle for 20 years now I'm living here I barely can find water to drink it's a different life that's for sure but I'm managing to survive. I made some mistakes in America that got me deported to this hell-hole.

Any advice will help in how I can get into Europe or Canada.Please no negativity I've paid dearly for my mistakes.

I got deported during trump administrations. I caught a Robbery . I updated it. from 2008. But I wasn't deported at the time of the charge I've had other misdemeanors like selling drugs and DUI recently which got me deported

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This seems really odd for Hacker News. This isn't what the site is for -- besides theres little help available here because this could easily be a scam as are all "cries for help" on the Internet and mods should take it down.

There's no link to a cashapp or a paypal so how could it be a scam? A scam to extort advice from users?

Not saying OP is a scammer but scams aren't that simple to figure out. For all we know, OP could be hoping someone would contact them with kindness of their heart and sent them money or some other resource. This could also be a long con.

Yeah I have to agree. It would be one thing if the poster were a known member of the HN community, or any adjacent community, but it's a brand new account. I don't think this kind of posting is sustainable.

It's possible this person is known to the HN community but would prefer to keep their identity private for this question however I agree with your sentiment, these posts should only be accepted in exceptional circumstances. There are other, perhaps even more beneficial places to ask for this kind of help.

I would genuinely like to know more about how this person is connected to this community or how they discovered it and what they thought this community in particular could assist with. Could you address that OP?

> I would genuinely like to know more about how this person is connected to this community or how they discovered it and what they thought this community in particular could assist with. Could you address that OP?

I was about to post exactly the same question. Very interested why he chose this community.

His brother posted a message 29 days ago. I don't expect both to be regular users hiding their identity https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19592367

Its highly unlikely you'll get to the UK as you have a record which will be visible to the UK authorities & fail the character test. If you apply i'd also advise you not to try and hide it as it would worsen the situation.

Have you considered Nairobi, it is quite a nice place and far from "hell hole". You would not have much trouble accessing it and it has a relatively good standard of life, good jobs and prospects.

So much apathy in this thread.

This guy came to the US as a child (3 years old!), was educated in the US, became a criminal in the US, committed all his crimes in the US and the USA’s answer to this is to deport him?

Come on, the USA made the criminal and they should deal with him. Why should Somalia or Kenya have him on their streets? They didn’t turn a 3 year old into a criminal. You shouldn’t be able to send your criminals to another country.

@OP, I would talk to a journalist as there’s a story here. You may then be able to get pro bono legal advice to have your original deportation thrown out, or perhaps the ability to claim asylum as you should be able to.

> So much apathy in this thread.

It's not apathy, it's realism. People living in the UK are aware of the hostile environment created by government around immigration. This phrase, "hostile environment", isn't spin created by opposition. It's the official term.

OP has no chance of legally moving to the UK.

It would be cruel to give them false hope.

> Come on, the USA made the criminal and they should deal with him. Why should Somalia or Kenya have him on their streets?

The situation is perfectly symmetrical, i.e. if a US-born child was illegally moved to Kenya at 3 years of age and became a criminal later in his life, Kenya can also just send him back to the US.

No because that child would be a Kenyan citizen and have the right to remain in their country.

Also, he was not illegally moved to the US- Somalia was undergoing a humanitarian disaster & civil war at the time, see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Task_Force for the US support given on the ground. This would absolutely be grounds for seeking asylum.

Why on earth would someone born in the US to US parents become a Kenyan citizen just from living there?

I think US didn't know that he came here at 3.

They might have seen him as an illegal immigrant without any specific timeline and deportation might have been their usual process.

The USA made him a criminal? I completely disagree.

The USA has many people with similar stories who did not become criminals and who were not forcibly deported.

This guy made some bad choices. I'd think he'd prefer Kenya to prison.

Many people can live in smog and not develop lung issues. That doesn't mean those responsible for smog shouldn't also be responsible for the people who do develop lung issues from it.

With a criminal record it will be extremely difficult to get a visa, let alone residency, in Canada or the UK. You would need to get a pardon, wait like a decade from the time of your last conviction or find some other way to prove your rehabilitation. Those are pretty serious offenses and countries don't want to import liabilities.

I don't appreciate your calling Kenya a hell-hole, after it gave you refugee shelter from Somalia.

After your criminal activity in the United States, I doubt the UK or even Kenyan authorities would allow you such status.

I think you're better off trying to ask for information/help here https://www.reddit.com/r/immigration/ rather than on HN.

Good luck

This seems like a much better course of action OP.

You might try to enroll on an university degree, like bachelor or master. In many universities of Europe is free or like 200€ per year/semester. Then you can apply to accommodation aids and even other kind of aids for food etc.

Start a new life from zero, learning a job, also working (there are student jobs and also the traditional jobs). Luxembourg (where I'am right now) is pretty good for that, there are plenty of opportunities, you'll also be fine only speaking english. Learning languages here is also almost free.

Try to look something like that. Other interesting cities for that are Maastricht (netherlands) or maybe in Germany. Good luck.

He is probably inadmissible to most of the EU with robbery and drug sales convictions.

OP what is your professional background? Any connection to IT / tech?

Isn't Sweden offering asylum and it seems from his case can qualify for one? As he came to the US at 3 and still got deported now his survival is threatened as he only learnt how to live in a developed western world.

Asylum is not given simply for living in developing world.

I wasn't aware of that, thank you for the new info.

But isn't his life is endangered as the person lived on mineral water and clean air for most of his life in the US and how can he cope up with a much harsher environment there.

Kenya seems like a very liveable country:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya

Are you legally there?

Describing Kenya as a "hell-hole" sounds like a bit of a stretch. Although I do understand it's not nice to be homeless anywhere.

"I would like to get into UK I have aunt that lives there"

You are 30 years old. Why would you need any help from relatives? Take ownership of your life. Don't put as your life goal to find the next shoulder to lean on. I know it's hard to be physically separated from your family and friends and everyone you knew. But it's your life.

What is your skill set?

Try and get to a sustainable position as soon as possible (stable monthly money for a roof and food. No drugs). Maybe it involves going to another area or a nearby country. Maybe it involves getting a shitty job for a while.

As other said, it will be hard to get a visa for a while, so you will need to think if you should stay in Kenya or not. Work your ass for at least 5-8 years and maybe u can get a residency there + a paper that says that u have a clean record in that country. If things go well in Kenya, and you are stable for 7ish years u can apply for a citizenship. Once you are a citizen of Kenya (or any country you can have a stable life with no crime) you can try and change your name and get a clean criminal record certificate on that name. Then you can think of attempting to apply for visas.

Also once you have food and roof, I would suggest checking the online freelancer route. Making money online might be a good way to bump up your income while working locally, and with more money, more doors will open for you. Also online, people won't really care about your criminal record.

Good luck, and I hope you stay away from crime while attempting to get a job.

That's messed up. Deporting somebody who has been in the country since they were a kid to a place they might not know anything about seems pretty cruel, regardless of your criminal history. After 20 years, you should be dealt with like any other citizen (however shitty that might be in the US).

On the other hand, I could see temporary deportation (with means to get back after some weeks / months) as an interesting punishment -> maybe realizing that not breaking the laws and working a shit job in the US beats scavenging for water in Africa..

Anyways, I have no advice for you, no idea what I would do in your position but I wish you luck.. hope you can get into UK or somewhere and start fresh.

that's my plan thank you.

> beats scavenging for water in Africa.

Beats scavenging for water in Kenya.

This is a petpeeve of mine and for some reason I expected to see less of it on HN, not all of Africa is a hell hole where people have to scavenge for water.

I know I'm beating a dead horse with the "Africa is not a country" saying but it ircks me to see that subconsciously not many people are making that distinction.

OP themselves described where they currently are as "hell-hole" (OP's words).

Following the same logic, OP is on planet Earth then planet Earth is a hell-hole.

Are you being dense on purpose?

To quote OP directly:

> I made some mistakes in America that got me deported to this hell-hole.

OP couldn't be any more clearer by their current living situation and surroundings.

You seem to be the one being dense on purpose, your quote is precisely what I am talking about. He said that where he is is a hell-hole, that place being Kenya not the entire continent of Africa as the top comment says.

Looks like you will need a work visa for the UK - I don't think an aunt will work for a UK family visa: see https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa and https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

This usually means you are a "skilled worker" and usually already have a job offer. There is a lot of pressure in the UK to prove that there is no one already in the UK able to do the work before a visa is possible (from what I understand - not an expert)

Your criminal past will be a problem whatever visa you go for though - robbery and selling drugs are not exactly something that is going to work in your favour. Some details here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-record-c...

The mood in the UK is quite anti-immigration at the moment. Both from politicians and a large part of the public outside of the major cities (due to Brexit).

I am pro-immigration and I can empathise with your position and situation, but I'm sorry to say that even I would personally not be comfortable with someone with your criminal record (who has already been deported from one country because of their criminality) being allowed to come and live in the UK just because you have an aunt that lives here.

Good luck.

> The mood in the UK is quite anti-immigration at the moment. Both from politicians and a large part of the public outside of the major cities (due to Brexit).

It's the other way around - the politicians and brexit are merely reflecting the anti-immigration mood that people have, and have had in the past.

Quite right - I did not make myself clear. Brexit is the manifestation of the simmering discontent (rightly or wrongly) with immigration.

Out of curiosity, how did you come to be in the US, and at what age? What is your native nationality?

I came to US as a refugee left Somalia during war around 1992 I was young I'm 30 years old now.

Why you weren't naturalized during this period?

He potentially never sought it out. I mean, there are people who never bother to finish high school or their GED.

Are there any locals here that can shed some light on the Kenyan economy / job market? All I've done is to read a little bit from cursory googling but I'd be interested in what it's like and what the chances for an early 30s foreigner are, for bootstrapping themselves.

I wouldn't even know what to do in my own country, except try to acquire as high an education as I can manage while working (vocational training, parallel Bsc or something). If I get through the application process at that age.

From what I read in 15 minutes, the job market for white collar jobs in Kenya seems to be oversaturated and companies can pick from the mass of graduates. Yet skilled manual labor is something that I've read is lacking in training for specialist technical jobs, like plumbing, electrical installation, welding.

You made some bad choices - that's unfortunate.

If you can't bring yourself to America or Europe - you should bring some America to Kenya.

Lead by example - find the water, don't rob it, and teach newly arrived deportees how to stay hydrated. As your group of stateless friends continues to grow - so too does your ability to positively impact your new Kenyan environment.

Remember -- life has brought you to this moment for a reason. Make the best of it. Make peace with being in Africa. Raise up your neighbors and together build for the future.

You either watch too much TV/shows or have never lived on your own. This is a ridiculous suggestion to anyone.

> This is a ridiculous suggestion to anyone.

It's pretty much the ordinary job description of a missionary.

Why is this a ridiculous suggestion and would you propose something else?

Americans don't do well because they have good education and a good work ethic, they do well because the society around them have a good education and people with a good work ethic. You can't drop an individual in the middle of nowhere and expect them to thrive easily.

Tbh, I don't know what to suggest other than to try to find work and figure out a way to survive. What else can one do? Making a commune on the other hand sounds ridiculous when he probably can't even speak the local language.

Thanks for elaborating. I think the sentiment of the original post is good but your suggestions are more reasonable and practical.

I don't think a commune was suggested at all, rather making the best of your situation by trying to help others. It's a very good suggestion. Those things happen in TV and movies but they also happen in real life.

Seriously? How do you propose he do that while not having a place to live or money to spend? How is he going to put food on his own table?

Kenya is not wild west where there's a new resources to be found, leave alone by someone who is new to the country.

This is ridiculous.

Why didn't I get some prison time at least instead of just sending me to a place I know nothing about? I lived in the US For 20 years for Godsakes trump is Evil person.

Are there any journalists I can tell my story too I'm stranded in a country I don't know 1 thing about. I think the way I was deported was Illegal too I went to county jail for a few days for some misdemeanor crimes and got hurried up into a plane out of no where heading to Somalia and just dropped in the middle of no where.

Canada and Australia also deport gangsters or career offenders back to India, Iraq and Somalia all the time who grew up here this is a common practice no journo would be interested in. Only way out is through education at this point. At least you can stay in Mombasa which is a pretty good city as way as developing countries go.

Well, if you have no money, you could try selling your story. If you contact the right people, you could make several hundreds of dollars. Publicity might eventually lead to help. Learn from your mistakes, and become a trustworthy person. Then you will have friends and a future.

Your "mistakes" matter, because depending on their severity, people will be more or less likely to help you.

just out of curiousity if that's not a secret, what did you which got you deported?

Robbery . I updated it. from 2008. But I wasn't deported at the time of the charge I've had other misdemeanors like selling drugs recently which got me deported

You're unlikely to get help.

I dont think you'll be getting any advice here when you fail to mention what you did to get kicked out.

> Any advice will help in how I can get into Europe or Canada.Please no negativity I've paid dearly for my mistakes.

A german right-wing army member managed to get official asylum status faking to be a syrian refugee despite not speaking a single word of arabic. So if your question is where are you most likely not gonna get caught due to goverment incompetence and lack of law enforcement, i'd suggest Germany. Enjoy.

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