- Catholic priest born in Kenya Father John Ojuok is stuck in Nairobi after being denied the visa stamp needed to re-enter the US despite having legal status
- He traveled to Kenya for a short three-week visit to see his mother, planning to renew his passport visa stamp in Nairobi
- Father Ojuok serves as parish priest of three parishes in Lewis County: St. Peter’s, St. Mary’s, and St. Hedwig’s in upstate New York
A Catholic priest born in Kenya is stuck in Nairobi after being denied re-entry into the United States despite his legal status.
Source: Youtube
Father John Ojuok flew home to visit his mother for what he thought would be a three-week trip, but the US embassy refused him the necessary visa stamp, extending his stay in Kenya by three months now.
The priest, who is a parishioner of the church of St. Peter’s, St. Mary, and St. Hedwig in Lewis County, New York, had planned to renew her passport visa stamp during her trip to Nairobi.
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Information shared by 7News shows that Ojuok went for an interview at the US embassy, but was denied a visa stamp, preventing him from entering the US.
“Perhaps they think that he can extend his stay after his legal stay in the United States expires,” Father Christopher Carrara, Episcopal Priest of the Clergy, Diocese of Ogdensburg, told the TV station.
He was expected to return to New York on September 11, but is still in Nairobi.
Carrara said the Kenyan-born priest had personal items that would only last three weeks, as he thought that was how long he would last.
The parish is now discouraging its immigrant religious leaders from traveling outside the United States, as the Trump administration tightens its immigration laws.
“I’m an advocate of legal immigration, but this additional screening makes immigration for people with legal status more difficult. Our advice to them is, don’t go home. Don’t visit because Father John would stay and he wouldn’t get a new visa stamp, and he’d still be legal,” he said.
The parish expressed its sorrow over Ojuok’s difficulties re-entering the United States, citing his impactful contribution to the church.
However, all hope is not lost as the diocese is talking to US officials, including Representative Elise Stefanik, to help bring Father Ojuok back to the US.
The priest moved to the United States in 2016 as a seminarian and studied Theology in New York. Before moving to the United States, he was in Rome for his studies.
He is from Migori County, Kenya, and is the youngest of four siblings.
A Kenyan man moved to the country after 16 years
In other news, a Kenyan man based in the United States moved to the country to avoid encounters with immigration officials.
Samuel Kang’ethe chose to leave the United States on his own terms, saying he did not want to be arrested and forced to return home in handcuffs.
He left his wife and three children in America.
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