Ask HN: I Got Deported from USA to Kenya
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
88 comments
[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 135 ms ] threadWhat do you base this incredibly questionable assumption on?
Have you been through a US highschool? Beyond (hopefully) learning how to read and write and perform basic math, what good is any of this "very nice" education if you're out on the streets?
Do you sincerely believe they'll roll out the red carpet for you in Kenya if you flaunt your highschool attendance? If so, why hasn't that happened yet? What do you know that they don't know?
It is well known most African countries have huge problems in providing basic education. Somalia included: https://borgenproject.org/tag/literacy-in-somalia/
"The total literacy rate is 37.8 percent in the African nation. Men have a literacy rate of 49.7 percent, while only 25.8 percent of females are literate, "
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-highest-literacy-rat...
US, while not famous for it's performance in this field, clocks in at 86%.
I would give 9/10 chances you will get better primary education in US than in Somalia based on those numbers.
There are many reasons Africa has many complex problems. Lack of decent primary education is one of those problems (and the root cause of other problems).
Edit: ... unless, of course, you are critizing the suggestion that you can put a primary education to any good use in a foreign country, without any understanding of the rules of the society, the patterns of daily life and no networks. Which is totally correct. Your answer can actually be parsed into two compeletely different connotations.
We don't even know that person's educational background, beyond the fact that they're capable of writing basic English.
That person has problems finding water to drink. I guess that's not part of the curriculum in the US.
There's some missing information here between "use your education" and "you'll be fine". Maybe you'll get hired right of the streets in Kenya if you attended a highschool in the US. I wouldn't know - but neither does the person posing the question.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
OP what is your professional background? Any connection to IT / tech?
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.
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.
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.
It's pretty much the ordinary job description of a missionary.
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.
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.
Good luck
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
They might have seen him as an illegal immigrant without any specific timeline and deportation might have been their usual process.
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.
After your criminal activity in the United States, I doubt the UK or even Kenyan authorities would allow you such status.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.