For Godfrey Wade, the uniform he once wore to defend the United States has offered no shield against the country’s tightening immigration dragnet.

The 65-year-old decorated Army veteran is now fighting deportation from a detention cell, a chilling signal of the Trump administration’s aggressive removal policies that have stripped protections even for those who swore an oath to the flag.

Wade’s ordeal began in September following a routine traffic stop for driving without a license. Instead of a simple citation, he was handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As reported by local outlet KENS5, Wade has remained in federal custody ever since, caught in the machinery of what the administration has termed a “mass deportation” program.

Service Without Sanctuary

The arrest has drawn sharp condemnation from advocates and family members who argue that military service should guarantee residency rights. April Watkins, Wade’s fiancée, emphasized the betrayal felt by veterans now targeted by the very government they served.

“If you served this country, you deserve a chance to stay in this country,” Watkins noted in an emotional appeal. “That is the hope for not only him but for any veteran who sits in a detention center.”

Wade’s background paints a picture of the quintessential immigrant success story—a narrative familiar to thousands of Kenyan families with relatives in the US:

• Early Roots: Arrived in the US from Jamaica at age 15.
• Military Duty: Joined the US Army, earning commendations for wartime service and good conduct.
• Civilian Life: Earned multiple college degrees and was working at a café at the time of his detention.

A Policy U-Turn

Wade’s detention highlights a stark shift in American policy that has sent ripples of anxiety through the global diaspora. Under the previous Biden administration, specific directives were in place to protect non-citizen veterans, alongside initiatives to repatriate those who had been wrongly deported.

However, those safeguards were rescinded shortly after Donald Trump’s second presidency began in January. The removal of these protections has left non-citizen service members vulnerable, a development that resonates deeply in Nairobi. Many Kenyans join the US military as a pathway to citizenship and professional development; Wade’s case serves as a grim warning that this path is no longer guaranteed.

“Look at their service that they gave this country and take that into consideration,” Watkins urged, a plea echoing across immigrant communities now realizing that in the current political climate, past sacrifice guarantees no future security.