WHY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL IS UNHAPPY WITH MATIANG’I’S CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Amnesty International has warned the Kenyan Government against the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigrants saying that it would lead to a possible Xenophobia attack.

In a press release on Friday signed by Seif Magango, Amnesty International Deputy Director for East Africa claimed that even those with legal documents had been affected in the crackdown.

“The Kenyan government must stop handling people who have fled war and persecution in their home countries but instead protect them. They must not be forced to return to countries where they would be at risk of harm,” he said.

He further said “Detention of refugees and asylum seekers with a view to deport to their countries of origin is unacceptable and goes against Kenya’s own constitution and its International obligations on how to treat refugees and asylum seekers.”

According to Magango, an order given by the Cabinet Secretary for Interior Security Fred Matiang’i that all immigrants are deported has seen numerous raids in various parts of the country.

He said that the people who were mostly affected are citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan.

“Some people have been picked from their houses and others from places of worship and those found without documents detained in police stations, some since Friday 24th August,” he said.

Source:https://nairobinews.nation.co.ke/