- 5,144 Nigerians face deportation: From the United States as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
- ICE data: 3,690 Nigerians are on the non-detained docket, while 1,454 are in detention and face deportation.
- Reasons for detention: 772 were arrested for criminal convictions or pending charges, while the rest were arrested for immigration violations.
- Nigerian government response: An inter-agency committee has been set up to handle the matter should there be mass deportations of Nigerians from the US.
Around 5,144 Nigerians may be affected by the ongoing deportation exercises from the United States, as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants. This number includes non-US citizens of Nigerian origin who are on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) non-detained docket with final orders of removal, as well as those already in ICE detention .
According to data from ICE, 3,690 Nigerians are on the non-detained docket, while an additional 1,454 are in detention and face deportation. Of those in detention, 772 were arrested for criminal convictions or pending charges, while the rest were arrested for immigration violations such as visa overstay.
The Nigerian government has set up an inter-agency committee to handle the matter should there be mass deportations of Nigerians from the US. The committee comprises the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
It’s worth noting that the US government has implemented an immigration policy aimed at removing undocumented immigrants, with nearly 3,000 “criminal aliens” arrested in the first few days of the operation.
