Dozens of Malawians are being held in U.S. immigration detention as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigrants.
Frontlinenews understands that some the Malawian detainees have been in custody for more than six months while they wait for hearings as the U.S. immigration court system struggles with backlogs that can delay decisions and keep people locked up longer.
Malawian Community members said arrests often follow record checks, especially during domestic travel, that flag expired visas or a mismatch between a visa’s stated purpose and a person’s actual activities.
“My friend was stopped travelling between states. When they checked his records they found his visa did not match what he was doing,” said a Malawian in Washington who asked not to be named.
In response, Malawians in the United States have organised at least two fundraising efforts to cover legal fees for detainees and to provide start-up support for those who may be deported or choose voluntary departure depending on the outcome of their cases.
The Poyambira Fund, one of the funds set up in the U.S., elected new leadership this month and said in a Sept. 22 statement that it has completed a leadership transition and is now focused on governance, financial management and community support.
The release said the Fund’s mission is “financial support and dignified return home”. It added that Ubuntu — the idea of mutual responsibility — is central to its work.
The response mirrors the Onjezani Kenani citizen-led initiative that mobilised support for Malawians affected by xenophobic attacks in South Africa. The initiative has managed to repatriate hundreds of Malawians back home.
In both cases, members of the public stepped in to raise money and organise assistance when families were left in distress.
U.S. Embassy officials in Lilongwe said that Malawi’s 33 percent visa overstay rate — with more than half of overstayers on F-1 student and J-1 exchange visas — has placed the country among those facing visa restrictions.
Since Aug. 1, 2026, routine visa processing at the Lilongwe embassy has been suspended, forcing Malawian applicants to travel to Nairobi for interviews and routine consular services.
Community members said many Malawians overstay because common jobs in the United States, such as home care, can pay many times more than top executive work in Malawi.
“In a single day I earn as much as K500,000. Where can I get such an amount in Malawi. So, it is this incentive that is pushing many to seek opportunities in the US” stated a Malawian based in Oregon.
Data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) show that almost 70,000 immigrants are in U.S. detention as of July this year.
