A Kenyan woman has been convicted and “removed” from the United States after she was arrested while attempting to enter the country using her sister’s travel documents. Christin Nyabate Nyandemo was, on Thursday, April 4, convicted of fraud and misuse of visas after being caught using her sister’s passport and visa to get into the U.S on February 21 by the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
CBP said that the case started when officers from the enforcement agency arrested Nyandemo at Washington Dulles International Airport.
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The 33-year-old is said to have flown in from Accra, Ghana and attempted to enter the country using her sister’s valid Kenya passport and U.S B1/B2 visitor visa.
A B-1/B-2 is a non-immigrant visa that allows people to enter the United States temporarily for business (B-1) or tourism (B-2).
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“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia successfully prosecuted Christin Nyabate Nyandemo, 33 years old, under 18 USC 1546, which covers false personation and fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and related documents,” said CBP.
According to the agency, Nyandemo struggled to answer simple questions about the travel history associated with the passport during the secondary screening examination.
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Kenyan woman Christin Nyabate Nyandemo arrested in the U.S
Ultimately, the enforcement officers discovered tax forms, credit cards, and a birth certificate — all belonging to the convict’s sister — hidden among her items.
Nyandemo later admitted to CBP officers that she used her sister’s documents to try to immigrate to the US.
“We appreciate the efforts of the U.S Attorney’s Office in pursuing this conviction. We hope that it sends a strong message that CBP remains committed to intercepting those attempting to illegally immigrate to the United States,” said Christine Waugh, Area Port Director for CBP’s Area Port of Washington, DC.
Also Read: Blow to Kenya as Trump Cancels Contract Worth Ksh438 Million
The Kenyan’s arrest and conviction comes after U.S President Donald Trump on Monday, January 20, kicked off his crackdown on illegal immigrants following the signing of multiple immigration executive orders.
Trump in the executive orders tasked the military with aiding border security, issued a broad ban on asylum, and took steps to restrict citizenship for children born on U.S soil.
Declaring illegal immigration a national emergency, the President ordered the Pentagon to provide support for border wall construction, detention space, and migrant transportation and empowered the secretary of Defense to send troops to the border as needed.
Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants
Following the signing of the orders, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials launched a crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Also Read: Kenyans in the US Accused of Snitching on Each Other After Trump Order
Data from the U.S Department of Homeland Security reveals that in the first 50 days of the Trump Administration, ICE has made 32,809 enforcement arrests.
According to the department, 14,111—nearly half of the illegal aliens arrested in the past 50 days—were convicted criminals, while 9,980—about a third— have pending criminal charges.
“To put this figure into perspective, in the entire fiscal year 2024, ICE’s enforcement and removal operations made 33,242 of these at-large arrests,” notes the U.S Homeland Security.
In February, ICE had revealed that it was targeting at least 1,445,549 noncitizens from 187 countries, including 1,282 Kenyans, for deportation.
Other African countries on the deportation list included Somalia (4,090), Nigeria (3,690), Ethiopia (1,713), Congo (795), Niger (642), Burundi (462), Uganda (393), Tanzania (301), South Sudan (136), Rwanda (338), Zimbabwe (545), Zambia (174), and Djibouti (29).
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