Kenyan-born Minnesota House Representative Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley recently sent a subtle message to US President-elect Donald Trump on the prospect of deportation.
While appearing on a TV interview on the evening of Saturday, December 14, Momanyi who beat the odds to win the Minnesota House of Representative seat, said it was practically impossible for US President-elect Donald Trump to deport immigrants, including Kenyans.
Huldah noted that due to the sheer number of immigrants in the US, which she claims is so overwhelming, deportation would have adverse effects on the US economy.
“Even if you don’t deport half of the immigrants, you are literally crippling half of the US economy,” she said.
President-elect Donald Trump during a past rally in October 2024.
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Courtesy
The Nyamira native also noted that there were rights in place that offered some degree of protection to immigrants in the US.
“So what we are hearing is rhetoric. There is some truth to that but we also have the law that affords individuals in the United States certain rights,” she added.
“If you are illegal in the US, there are rights that are not accorded to you, I get that. The US has to protect its borders, I get that as well. But we are also called to be compassionate. We are supposed to extend a helping hand when someone is going through something.”
Momanyi’s comments came just weeks after Trump sent shock waves across the internet by reposting a post from November 8 by his ally Tom Fitton, the head of the conservative Judicial Watch organization.
In his post, Fitton suggested that the new administration was “prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.”
The US President-elect has also lined up several immigration hardliners to serve in key Cabinet positions, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. Noem was picked to be Homeland Security secretary pending Senate confirmation.
True to Momanyi’s sentiments, the US’s immigrant population is considerably large, with an estimated 11 million unauthorised migrants living in the world’s superpower without legal immigration status, including Kenyans.
According to data from the 2020 US Census Bureau, at least 30,000 Kenyans are reported to be living in the US without proper legal documentation – a figure that could be higher in 2024.
Momanyi, who recently attended the Jamhuri Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, believes deportation of immigrants from the US would be a backward move from Trump.
“His rhetoric is jeopardizing individuals like refugees who are leaving their nations to seek refuge in the US. He is jeopardizing immigrants who have been in the country,” she added.
Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley
Courtesy Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley
