Washington DC — Just days after 12 Zimbabweans were deported in a dramatic Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation, U.S. officials have confirmed 14 more Zimbabwean nationals are now in detention — and will be processed for deportation “as soon as possible.”
An ICE spokesperson released a short but firm statement late last night, saying:
“We can confirm the detention of 14 Zimbabwean citizens across multiple states. They are currently undergoing final immigration processing and will be removed from the United States at the earliest opportunity.”
According to leaked information from advocacy groups, the detained Zimbabweans have been named as:
Tawanda Goredema – Houston, TX
Chipo Manyika – Newark, NJ
Admire Chivhayo – Los Angeles, CA
Nomsa Mutasa – Dallas, TX
Panashe Mhandu – Atlanta, GA
Tatenda Chimbetu – Phoenix, AZ
Lynette Marufu – Chicago, IL
Tonderai Makumbe – Philadelphia, PA
Rufaro Zimunya – Miami, FL
Tariro Mudzonga – Boston, MA
Tinashe Mawere – San Diego, CA
Kudzanai Mbiriri – Las Vegas, NV
Nyasha Moyo – Denver, CO
Blessing Chikomo – Minneapolis, MN
Social media has erupted under the hashtag #ZimbabweICEDeportations, with emotional videos of families crying outside detention centers and activists calling the moves “inhumane and politically motivated.”
Immigration lawyers warn this could be part of a larger crackdown, with more Zimbabwean nationals possibly on ICE’s radar.
One detained man, speaking to reporters through a phone call from the facility, said:
“We are being treated like criminals when all we wanted was a better life. We don’t know when they will come for us next — but we can hear the planes outside.”
The Zimbabwean embassy in Washington has not yet commented on the fresh wave of arrests.
