Somalia’s Deported: Resettling Amidst Conflict and Scarcity
Mukhtar Abdiwhab Ahmed, a 39-year-old man, sits outside his home in Mogadishu, Somalia, amidst the bustling life of children playing, soldiers conversing, and rickshaws speeding by under the relentless sun. Yet, Mukhtar’s presence here is not of his choosing but a consequence of his deportation from the United States in 2018, under the first presidency of Donald Trump.
Mukhtar had sought refuge in the US after the civil unrest in Somalia forced his family to flee. Settling in Seattle, Washington, he succumbed to the pressures of his environment, found himself embangled in criminal activities, and served time for his offenses. Despite attempting to carve out a new life, he was eventually deported back to his birthplace, a country torn by ongoing conflict and instability.
Trump’s administration, newly inaugurated for a second term, revive the order for removals targeting individuals deemed present in the US "illegally", including over 4,000 Somalis. However, activists, lawyers, and those previously deported express concerns about the risks of returning to a country yet to fully recover from decades of strife, where societal reintegration is a challenge, and employment scarce.
Nonetheless, warnings from the US government itself about the dangers in Somalia—crime, terrorism, civil unrest, amongst others—have not deterred the resumption of deportations. Mukhtar, along with many others, navigates a fully foreign terrain, struggling with societal prejudices stemming from their
Western-influenced tattoos, and attempting to rebuild a life amid the chaos and the constant threat of violence.
Their stories are not isolated incidents, but a portrait of a broader issue where deportees face not just the immediate threat of violence but a life of uncertainty, stigma, and the struggle to find meaning in a place that was once home, but is now a distant memory. Amidst it all, the deportees attempt to devise a path forward, acknowledging the cards they’ve been dealt, and manifesting resilience in the face of their uncertain futures.
