Recent data from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has revealed that 3,690 Nigerians in the United States have been issued final removal orders and are at risk of deportation.
Additionally, 1,454 Nigerians are currently in ICE custody, bringing the total number of Nigerians set for deportation to 5,144.
According to the ICE document dated 24 November 2024, there are 1,445,549 non-citizens on ICE’s non-detained docket with final orders of removal, Fox News reports.
This includes 252,044 Mexicans, 203,822 Salvadorans, and 37,908 Chinese nationals.
Other top countries of nationals on the list include Guatemala (253,413), Honduras (261,651), Haiti (32,363), Iran (2,618), Pakistan (7,76), Uzbekistan, (975) and Venezuela (22,749).
In Africa, Somalia leads with 4,090, followed by Nigeria and Ghana with 3,228.
The Trump administration has ordered increased removals, with ICE expected to deport 1,200 to 1,500 people daily.
The US government in a statement urged foreign nations to accept the return of their nationals to facilitate deportations.
“Lack of cooperation from foreign governments delays and, in many cases, inhibits the removal process. The U.S. government requests foreign governments take appropriate steps to confirm the citizenship of non-citizens suspected to be their nationals, conduct interviews, issue travel documents in a timely manner, and accept their physical return,” the document stated.
It further warned that countries refusing to cooperate with deportations “may be classified as uncooperative or at risk of non-compliance.”
The federal government has yet to officially respond to the latest development, but reports say Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media and Corporate Affairs at Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), confirmed the government’s readiness to welcome Nigerians.
“The Federal Government has formed an inter-agency committee made up of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NiDCOM, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) in preparation for any potential mass deportation of Nigerians from the US,” he was quoted as saying.
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