By Fatima Abubakar
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced plans to deport over 3,690 Nigerians as part of a mass deportation campaign spearheaded by President Donald Trump. This development followed a series of executive actions signed by Trump shortly after his inauguration for a second term in office.
The ongoing exercise, which has already seen hundreds of migrants arrested and flown out of the country on military aircraft, targets immigrants from various nations. Mexico and Nicaragua reportedly top the list, while Nigeria, Honduras, and El Salvador also featured prominently.
ICE, tasked with combating cross-border crime and illegal immigration, released a deportation list that included migrants from over 15 countries. The breakdown of individuals slated for deportation is as follows:
Mexico: 12,450
Nicaragua: 6,890
Nigeria: 3,690
Honduras: 2,345
El Salvador: 1,980
Other countries: 8,645
The agency emphasized its commitment to protecting the United States from threats posed by undocumented immigrants and cross-border criminal activities.
In his inaugural speech at the Capitol Rotunda earlier this month, Trump reaffirmed his campaign pledge to implement an unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration. He promised to enforce immigration laws “at a level nobody has ever seen before,” setting the tone for the sweeping deportation operations now underway.
Key measures implemented in Trump’s first days back in office included restricting asylum applications, replacing immigration court leadership, and ramping up deportation operations. Administration officials have hinted that these aggressive actions will continue in the weeks and months ahead.
This development has sparked concerns among immigrant communities in the United States, particularly Nigerians, who now face uncertainty and fear over their future in the country.
