Over 5,000 Nigerians Face Deportation in U.S. Crackdown on Illegal Immigrants

No fewer than 5,144 Nigerians are at risk of deportation as the United States intensifies its crackdown on undocumented immigrants under President Donald Trump’s administration. The affected individuals include those on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) non-detained docket with final orders of removal, as well as those already in ICE detention facilities.

According to data from ICE, 3,690 Nigerians are on the non-detained docket, meaning they have been ordered to leave the U.S. but are not currently in custody. An additional 1,454 Nigerians are being held in detention centers, awaiting deportation. Of those in custody, 772 were arrested for criminal convictions or pending charges, while the rest were detained for immigration violations such as visa overstays.

ICE further disclosed that 417 Nigerians have already been deported as of November 2024, while 884 were removed between 2019 and 2024. These deportations are part of a broader immigration policy aimed at removing illegal immigrants, with nearly 3,000 “criminal aliens” arrested in the early days of the operation.

Although the primary focus of the deportations has been individuals with criminal records, concerns are growing that enforcement may extend to other undocumented immigrants, including those on the non-detained docket. The U.S. government maintains that every country is obligated to accept its nationals who are deemed ineligible to remain in the U.S. However, ICE noted that certain removals are delayed due to legal appeals, asylum claims, or lack of cooperation from foreign governments.

Under President Trump’s directive, ICE and the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) have been instructed to increase daily deportations, with targets set between 1,200 and 1,500 removals per day. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Benjamine Huffman, emphasized that the latest measures aim to fulfill the administration’s promise to enforce immigration laws more rigorously.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has taken steps to prepare for any mass deportations. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) stated that while it is not aware of any immediate plans to deport Nigerians, an inter-agency committee has been established to address the situation if necessary.

NiDCOM’s Director of Media and Corporate Affairs, Abdurahman Balogun, explained that the committee includes representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, NiDCOM, and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).

“The Federal Government has put in place an inter-agency committee to handle any possible deportation of Nigerians from the U.S. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the lead consular authority, is monitoring developments closely,” Balogun stated.

The ongoing deportation exercise underscores the increasing challenges faced by undocumented Nigerians in the U.S., as immigration enforcement policies become more stringent under the Trump administration.