NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan national who worked for Washington State’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over an alleged visa overstay, raising questions about how his employment documentation was verified.
Stanley Robert Kungu Muthee entered the United States on February 6, 2019, on a B-2 tourist visa but allegedly remained in the country after his authorised stay expired, according to details reported by Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin and attributed to ICE.
ICE officers arrested Muthee during a traffic stop on Monday, according to the report. He was reportedly wearing a department jacket and carrying an employee identification card at the time.
The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families confirmed that Muthee had worked for the agency since August 16, 2024.
Agency Says He Presented Work Authorisation Documents
The department said Muthee supplied documents during recruitment that indicated he was authorised to work in the United States.
“This individual has been employed with the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families since Aug. 16, 2024,” the department’s communications director, Nancy Gutierrez, said in a statement quoted by Fox News.
The agency added that the documents included a valid US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) number without an expiration date and that it had not been notified of a change in his immigration status.
The statement highlights a distinction between employment authorisation and immigration status. Permission to work does not, by itself, necessarily grant a person lawful immigration status or prevent immigration authorities from taking enforcement action.
Child Welfare Role Draws Attention to Immigration Status
The case has attracted attention because the department works with children, young people and families across Washington State.
Federal immigration authorities have stressed the importance of legal status when discussing employment in sensitive public-service roles. However, the reported arrest concerns Muthee’s alleged immigration violation; no allegation of misconduct involving children has been established in the information available.
The department’s statement indicates that it relied on documentation presented during the hiring process and had not been informed of a change in Muthee’s status.
Further details about his immigration proceedings, legal representation and the circumstances surrounding the arrest were not established in the initial report.
Separate Ohio Case Involves Haitian Nationals
The report also referenced a separate immigration enforcement case in Ohio involving two Haitian nationals who were detained and reportedly had outstanding deportation orders. They were accused of fraud involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a US food assistance programme.
That case is separate from Muthee’s arrest in Washington, and the allegations concerning the Haitian nationals should not be taken as evidence of wrongdoing by the Kenyan national.
The two cases come amid continued US immigration enforcement focused on people authorities say have violated immigration rules or are subject to removal orders.
