Lansing, Michigan. Samuel Kangethe pushes his daughter, age five, on the swings at a green park close to his house on a recent Thursday afternoon. The young girl looks at the playground on top of a tiny hill nearby while she swings.
Kangethe’s 13-year-old son is nearby, teaching his father a few things about Grand River fishing. His eleven-year-old daughter assists her sister in navigating the playground while playing with her phone.
Kangethe states, “This is how we spend our days,”
Kangethe, a native of Kenya, has spent more than 16 years residing in Michigan. He initially arrived here on a student visa. He currently holds a master’s degree in finance from Central Michigan University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Northwood University.
He was employed by the state of Michigan as an accountant until May. He had previously worked for a nearby beer distributor in a similar capacity.
However, his life has changed drastically in the past few months.
“President Trump campaigned on immigration and enforcing immigration policies,” according to him. Therefore, for someone like myself who has an immigration case pending that directly impacts me, this is very important. You may therefore imagine how terrified I am by that.
Due to a previous marriage, he was granted conditional residency in his immigration petition. However, immigration authorities declared that marriage to be false in 2014.Although a judge has not yet made a decision in that case, Kangethe has subsequently divorced and remarried in 2018. However, he is currently deportable in the eyes of the immigration system.
Although he has not broken any laws, he has also been unable to change his legal status.
“I have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of I don’t want that case,” adds Kangethe. “I refuse to live the rest of my life in chains because of it. I don’t commit crimes.”
Thus, he has decided.
“I need to take the option of self-deporting myself,” he states.
The Trump administration has threatened to imprison and deport undocumented immigrants unless they willingly depart.
Thousands of migrants have responded to President Trump’s appeal to self-deport, including Kangethe.
Over 7,000 people have self-deported using a government app thus far, according to White House border czar Tom Homan. A $1,000 exit payment and a complimentary one-way airline ticket home are given to users of the CBP Home app.
However, the actual number is probably far higher because individuals like Kangethe, who are not using the app and are departing on their own, are not included in the official count.
Kangethe claims that this choice caused him and his family great distress. Everyone, including his wife, Latavia Kangethe, has had an extremely difficult few months.
“I think after months of going through that it took a toll even on our marriage, to the family,” she continues.
Now, Latvia is concerned about whether or when the family will reunite. Their father is leaving the children. Her husband is leaving her.
“It’s frightening. “I’ll basically be a single mother,” she explains. “And to go from a two-person income in the home where we’re able to piggy-back and do the things together like we’ve always done It’s going to impact the entire family.”
According to Sam Kangethe, it was one of the hardest choices he has ever had to make.
But instead of being shackled on a flight headed to what Florida and federal officials have called “Alligator Alcatraz” or a prison in El Salvador, he decided to depart on his own terms.
He adds, “And that way at least I’m safe,” “If my family needs to reach me at least they have a clear understanding of where I am, when they can reach me and how they can reach me.”
His community has also been devastated by his leaving.
Kangethe made one of his final stops to see his old coworkers at Dan Henry Distributing, a beer company in Lansing, on a recent day.
Dan Henry, the president of the company, expresses his sadness over Kangethe’s departure.
“Sam has always been a self-starter, a quick learner, happy to have a job,” adds Henry.
He is aware that Trump must reverse the lenient border enforcement policies of previous President Biden, according to Henry. However, he now fears that the crackdown in America’s interior has gone too far.
“We are sort of caught up in a moment of turning back the clock on what we just had by letting everybody in,” Henry continues. “Unfortunately I think what we are gonna do is we are going to lose an awful lot of good people in the process.”
He claims that Kangethe is among the good people.
To become involved in Kangethe’s situation, Henry has contacted a Republican congressman in his area. It hasn’t been successful.
One of Kangethe’s pals, Betsy Ford, expresses concern for his family.
“I’m definitely going to have to step up then in his absence to let them know we are still here,” adds Ford. “He may be gone for now, but the rest of the village is still here and we are still going to support you, and we are still going to be what you need us to be, whether Sam is here or not, because I know that’s what Sam would want me to do.”
Kangethe feels a little better after that. What would happen to his children is his greatest concern. Can they afford to go to college? Can they afford to remain in their house?
Kangethe, however, asserts that his choice is irrevocable.
“Some strong, intense feelings are going to hit me. “For those, I’m not sure if I’m ready,” Kangethe admits. “But if that’s the sacrifice I have to pay for me to go sleep in Kenya so I can safely come back, then for me, I feel like that’s a small sacrifice to pay and I’m willing to pay.”
Copyright 2025 NPR
