US Plans To Deport 5,144 Nigerian Migrants

As reactions continue to trail the planned deportation of about 5,144 Nigerians illegally living in the United States (US), the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, has said that the Federal Government is ready to welcome them home.

According to reports, no fewer than 5,144 Nigerians may be affected in the initial stage of the ongoing deportation exercises from the US as President Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants continues.

The figure includes non-US citizens of Nigerian origin in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, and Enforcement and Removal Operations, ERO, non-detained docket with final orders of removal from the US and those already in ICE detention.

According to the data, 772 of the 1,454 Nigerians in ICE custody were arrested and detained for criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, while the rest were arrested for other immigration violations, such as visa overstays.

It further showed that 417 were arrested and removed as of November 2024, while 884 were removed between 2019 and 2024.

The disclosure by ICE comes at a time when the newly inaugurated administration of President Trump is implementing an immigration policy aimed at ridding the United States of illegal immigrants.

There have been issues surrounding the deportations with at least three countries, Mexico, Columbia and Brazil, alleging that their nationals were returned home in a degrading manner and there are fears the treatment could be extended to Nigerian deportees.

Speaking to Newsmen, Chairman/CEO NiDCOM, Hon. Abike Dabiri, re-enforced the position of the Director of Media and Corporate Affairs of the commission, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, who spoke earlier on Wednesday. She said

“Except you want to interview the Minister of Foreign Affairs for his own perspective. NiDCOM Director of Media and Corporate Affairs, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, already told the media that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was in charge of such development and that the Federal Government had already set up an inter-agency committee to handle the matter should Nigerians be deported from the US.

“The Federal Government has set up an inter-agency committee, comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NiDCOM, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, should there be mass deportation of Nigerians from the US”, shesaid.