The United States government has identified approximately 3,690 Nigerians for deportation under former President Donald Trump’s immigration policy targeting undocumented migrants. However, officials confirmed to Naija247news that the Nigerian government has not yet received formal notification regarding the deportation process.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Efforts to obtain official information from the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yielded limited responses. NiDCOM referred inquiries to the foreign affairs ministry, where acting spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa stated that Nigeria has yet to receive confirmation on the number of deportees or their expected return date.
“For now, there’s no information in that regard. There’s no confirmation of the number or a specific date,” Ebienfa said.
Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Since taking office on January 20, President Trump initiated a series of executive orders enforcing stricter immigration policies, fulfilling his campaign promise of mass deportations. In the first month of his second term, the US deported over 37,000 individuals to countries including Honduras, Ecuador, and India. However, deportations to Nigeria and most African nations had not yet taken place, with officials stating that removal figures were expected to rise.
According to Naija247news, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) listed Nigeria as having the second-highest number of nationals slated for deportation in Africa, following Somalia, which had 4,090 cases.
First Batch of Deportees Set for Lagos Return
US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Miller, recently disclosed that the US was preparing to repatriate an initial group of 85 Nigerian deportees. He specified that this batch would include individuals convicted of crimes in the US, as well as those who had violated immigration laws and lost their appeals.
“Those to be repatriated would be dropped in Lagos. There wouldn’t be room for whether it should be in Port Harcourt or Abuja. The first group will be convicted prisoners: those who committed crimes and are in US prisons. Some of them have violated immigration laws, appealed, and were denied but are still in the US,” Miller explained.
However, Mr. Ebienfa clarified that neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Nigerian Mission in the US had received a confirmed date for their return.
“The actual movement of the flight has not been concluded. When they are ready, they will inform us or our Mission in Washington, who will notify us. The normal diplomatic standard is that the host country will notify us, and then we will reach an agreement. Once we are informed, we will begin to prepare and inform the public,” he stated.
Stay tuned to Naija247news for further updates on this developing story.
