Sam Kang'ethe made news recently after he chose to leave the US on his own rather than wait for the notorious Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) police to come for his neck.
Now he paints a picture of quiet determination at his new home in Nairobi, Kenya. Kang'ethe self-deported in the summer of 2025 because he did not feel safe, having endured constant threats of arrest, detention and deportation.
He left his wife Latavia and three children aged 13, 11-year and five, all he had raised in Lansing, Michigan.
“I resigned to go back home to Kenya in May 2025. My wife and I prepared the kids for my departure over the summer,” he told the Nation .
“On the final day, we got a family meal, and took the kids to play at the mall. My wife organised a surprise departure party later that day, when about 50 people showed up, even though it was done on short notice. And I felt seen, I felt appreciated, I felt loved, and I felt like I belonged, like I was just not going away.”
For him, it was the kind of parting shot, a show of love by a community he had been a part of.
Kenyan Sam Kang'ethe with his family on his last day in the US..
Photo credit: Pool
“I've been in that community for 15 years, and so it was a good thing. I was part of that community, and I gave into that community, and that was also a community showing me love and just kind of giving me back what I was giving.”
His final months in the US were difficult, he admitted in a virtual interview on Saturday.
Kang'ethe has no criminal record in the US, actually, and says he has not committed any crimes there. However, he faced removal after an immigration official ruled his previous marriage fraudulent in 2014.
He presented evidence in court to fight the immigration officials' claims. But because the court case was pushed back during the Covid-19 pandemic, it eventually got dropped from the immigration court docket.
His new court hearing was set for January 2026. But ICE couldn’t wait, because an immigration judge has not ruled on his case, Kang'ethe has been left in immigration legal limbo.
He is legally deportable and can be arrested and detained anytime, in spite of the fact that he has a legal case pending in court. Kang'ethe, therefore, decided to self-deport.
Kenyan Sam Kang'ethe who left the US to avoid being deported.
Photo credit: Pool
It wasn’t an easy decision, though, especially since every time, suspected illegal immigrants were getting rounded up.
“You see people being picked up when they drop their kids off at school. And these were the kind of things I used to do. I cannot imagine myself taking my kids to school and then being picked up by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“So, for me, I explained and made sure they understood that I wasn't abandoning them in self-deporting. I wasn't leaving them. I was just leaving to be safe, because when I'm safe, then they will know where they can find me.”
Back in Kenya, Kang'ethe states that he is making the transition well. His conscience is clear and he followed the law in adjusting his status and even voluntarily leaving the US.
He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Finance from Central Michigan University. He is using that knowledge and experience in the US to apply for jobs in Kenya.
“If I were a criminal in the US, I would have been in jail. I had a life, and I lived my life. I had these kids, and I supported my family. I supported these kids.
“That is just how I lived my life. I worked hard, and I paid my taxes. I bought a house for my family, and I just lived like any other American would live. I do not have any criminal background whatsoever. I have never had an encounter with law enforcement. I just did whatever any other good citizen would do. I worked hard and raised a family. I am still adjusting to things in Kenya. It remains a work in progress.”
Kenyan Sam Kang'ethe leaves the US.
Photo credit: Pool
“It is a deeply personal choice. Everyone's story and background are different. I was fortunate to have a fallback plan and educational qualifications to help me start over in Kenya. Not everyone may have those resources. I encourage people to live honorably, support their communities. To do good, with the hope that good will come back to them. It is therefore a difficult decision. It's one that each person needs to consider on their own individual circumstances before making such a choice.”
Overall, Sam Kang'ethe’s case shows that Kenyans can get into immigration trouble in any of the 50 US states for a variety of reasons. Not everyone that comes back to Kenya is a criminal or has been forcefully removed by the government.
Thousands of others in the diaspora may have decided otherwise and chose to live in the shadows of (American) society; working illegally, underemployed, facing harassment and discrimination.
US President Donald Trump has employed aggressive efforts to advance mass deportation in light of his campaign manifesto, especially as he faces no re-election fears to contend with. He will want to reinforce his legacy as the president who was tough on illegal immigration and put America first.
However, Trump’s immigration clampdown has its downsides. Not only does the US lose trained and highly skilled labour like Sam Kang'ethe in finance, it also tears families apart and creates incredible emotional, financial and psycho-social trauma. Sam’s wife, Latavia, will be without a husband for now. His three children will, for now, lose the presence of a loving father.
However, Sam says his self-deportation was a self-preservation measure, safeguarding future opportunities to return to the US, legally.
