Kenyans Flock to the US in Large Numbers As Refugees

In 2023, the United States of America welcomed a larger number of refugees, with a majority coming from Kenyan camps, compared to the previous two years.

In 2023, the State of Minnesota welcomed and resettled a remarkable number of refugees. Over 1,500 individuals found a new home in the state, surpassing the previous year's figure by more than three times. This significant increase in refugee admissions can be attributed to President Joe Biden's decision to raise the admission ceiling to 125,000. According to the US publication Star Tribune, the largest group among these arrivals were Somalis, with a total of 443 individuals who had sought refuge in camps like Dadaab in Kenya, having fled their war-torn homeland.

Among the diverse groups are individuals from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia. According to Ben Walen, the Minnesota Council of Churches' division director for refugee services, the state is gearing up to welcome 2,400 new refugees by 2024. Nationally, the United States has witnessed an increase in refugee arrivals following the tenure of former President Donald Trump who curtailed initiatives to resettle migrants.

President Biden has been making regular adjustments to the refugee admissions ceiling since 2021. However, the number of individuals admitted has often been lower than the established limit due to a range of obstacles, such as staffing problems. Rebekah Phillips, the director of refugee services at Arrive Ministries, has noted that the Biden administration's focus is not solely on reaching a specific number, but on attaining the refugee admissions ceiling as an overall objective for the year.

The closure of the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps in Kenya, housing more than 500,000 individuals, is expected to influence migration trends. To reduce the threat of terrorism across the nation, the Kenyan Government has been contemplating this action since 2021. Primarily, Somali refugees will bear the brunt of this decision as they constitute the majority within these camps.

To implement their strategy, the government is striving to create a unified community where refugees and host communities can live together. This method aims to establish a peaceful and cooperative atmosphere for both groups. Previously, Karanja Kibicho, the former Interior PS, revealed that intelligence agencies had discovered connections between the planning of the Westgate attack in 2013, the Garissa University attack in 2015, and the Dusit D2 attack, all tied to the Dadaab camp.