Around 3,690 Nigerians in the United States are facing deportation as Donald Trump intensifies his crackdown on illegal immigrants.
A document compiled by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), specifically the Enforcement and Removal Operations division, and reviewed by our correspondent on Tuesday, reveals that the data is broken down by nationality and the number of individuals facing deportation.
The document also clarified that, as of November 24, 2024, there are 1,445,549 non-citizens on ICE’s non-detained docket with final removal orders.
Titled “Noncitizens on the ICE Non-Detained Docket with Final Orders of Removal by Country of Citizenship,” the document shows that Mexico and El Salvador are at the top of the list of nations with the highest numbers of deportations, with 252,044 and 203,822, respectively.
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ICE is responsible for protecting the United States from cross-border crime and illegal immigration, which pose threats to national security.
Last Thursday, hundreds of migrants were arrested, and others were flown out of the country on military aircraft as Trump’s promised mass deportation operation officially began.
Nigerians, along with other African illegal immigrants in the United States, may be the next targets for deportation by the US government.
The fear of deportation has gripped many Nigerians who are residing illegally in the US following Trump’s declaration of war against illegal immigration.
Upon his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States, Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at tightening immigration policies, including the cessation of birthright citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants.
Trump also signed orders declaring a national emergency at the Mexico-US southern border, deploying additional troops to the area and threatening to deport “criminal aliens.”
Recently, Colombian President Gustavo Petro relented and agreed to allow US military planes to fly deportees into the country, after initially turning back two transport flights in response to what he called inhumane treatment of immigrants.
The two leaders exchanged harsh words on Sunday following Colombia’s move to block Trump’s use of military aircraft to deport thousands of unauthorised immigrants.
However, on Sunday night, the White House issued a statement stating that, because Petro had agreed to all of its terms, the tariffs and sanctions Trump had previously threatened would be “held in reserve.”
Other penalties, such as visa sanctions, will remain in effect until the first planeload of deportees arrives in Colombia, the statement added.
“Today’s events make clear to the world that America is respected again,” the statement said.
Shortly after, Colombia’s foreign ministry released a statement declaring, “We have overcome the impasse with the United States government.”
It stated that the government would accept all deportation flights and “guarantee dignified conditions” for those Colombians aboard.
The day began with Petro announcing that he had turned back US military planes carrying deported immigrants, triggering a furious exchange with Trump, who retaliated with a series of sanctions and tariffs targeting Colombia, a long-time US ally in Latin America.
Trump declared on social media that the US would immediately impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Colombian imports, raising it to 50 per cent after one week. The Trump administration also vowed to “fully impose” banking and financial sanctions on Colombia, apply a travel ban on Colombian government officials and their associates, and revoke their visas.
Petro responded on social media, posting a retaliatory 25 per cent tariff on US imports to Colombia, which he later raised to 50 per cent in another post.
See the full list below:
