Refugees From Kenya Are Moving to US in Droves

Refugees From Kenya Are Moving to US in Droves

Refugees From Kenya Are Moving to US in Droves

In comparison to the two years prior, the United States of America welcomed a higher number of refugees in 2023—the majority of them were from camps in Kenya.Specifically, the State of Minnesota accepted nearly 1,500 refugees in 2023—more than three times as many as in 2022 and far more than the 258 that entered in 2021.

According to Star Tribune, a US publication, the high numbers were a result of President Joe Biden’s decision to raise the refugee admissions ceiling to 125,000 since taking over the reins in 2021. Of the arrivals, Somalis who had lived in camps, including Dadaab in Kenya after escaping the war-torn East African country, made the highest number at 443. Others were Congolese as well as Ethiopians.

The Minnesota Council of Churches’ Ben Walen, division director for refugee assistance, reports that the state is preparing to take in 2,400 additional refugees in 2024.The United States of America has seen a rise in the number of refugees arriving on a national level since the administration of previous President Donald Trump, who reduced attempts to relocate migrants.

Biden has continuously raised the maximum on refugee admissions since 2021; nevertheless, a number of issues, including personnel shortages, resulted in fewer people being admitted than the cap.Director of Arrive Ministries’ refugee services Rebekah Phillips said, “I think the Biden administration has made it clear that it’s seen as more of a goal (hitting the refugee admissions ceiling); that’s the number we want to see arrive in that year.”

“So I think there was a lot of resources put around that to make that happen both locally here in Minnesota and also at the national level … and even those who are doing overseas processes for refugees started to add to their staff capacities.””We saw the refugee resettlement pathway really come back to life a little bit, and I think that’s the reason for the increases we did see. Now I think it’s challenging to go from a trickle to a full faucet of water again,” she added.

The goal of the Kenyan government to close Dadaab and Kakuma, two significant refugee camps that house over 500,000 people, is probably what’s causing the movement.In an attempt to reduce the risk of terrorism nationwide, the Kenyan government has been considering closing the centers since 2021.

This decision is expected to have an impact on the refugees, the majority of whom are Somalis.According to the plan, the state intended to establish an integrated community where the host populations and refugees would be expected to coexist.

Former Interior PS Karanja Kibicho had previously disclosed that an intelligence assessment had proven that the Dadaab camp was the planning site for the Westgate attack in 2013, the Garissa University incident in 2015, and the Dusit D2 attack in 2013.