Out of the nearly two million persons classified as illegal immigrants by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation from the country, 3,690 have been identified to be Nigerians.
The deportations come as President Donald Trump enforces his crackdown on illegal immigrants in the country.
According to a document from ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), titled “Noncitizens on the ICE Non-Detained Docket with Final Orders of Removal by Country of Citizenship,” Mexico and El Salvador top the list of nations facing the most deportation, with 252,044 and 203,822, respectively.
The document revealed that as of November 24, 2024, the total number of non-citizens on ICE’s non-detained docket stands at 1,445,549, adding that they have final removal orders against them.
ICE, tasked with safeguarding the US from cross-border crime and illegal immigration, has intensified efforts since last week, arresting hundreds of migrants, with many of them already deported using military aircraft.
With 3,690 persons on the list, Nigeria was the country with the second most citizens in Africa, just behind Somalia which had 4,090.
Ghana held the third spot with 3,228 illegal immigrants.
Nigerians and other African migrants residing illegally in the US now face heightened fear and uncertainty as deportation looms.
The US government urged countries to accept the return of their nationals, with the document, seen by NEW DAILY PRIME reading, “Lack of cooperation from the foreign government delays and, in many cases, inhibits the removal process.
“The U.S. Government requests foreign governments take appropriate steps to confirm the citizenship of noncitizens suspected to be their nationals, which include conducting interviews, issuing travel documents in a timely manner, and accepting the physical return of their nationals by scheduled commercial or charter flights consistent with ICE and/or foreign government removal guidelines.
“Lack of cooperation from countries in accepting the return of their nationals may lead to ICE classifying those countries as uncooperative or at-risk of non-compliance.”
Before winning the presidential election in November, Trump said clamping down on illegal immigrants would be one of his priorities.
The US president has repeatedly described illegal immigrants as aliens who drive up crime rates in the US.
Trump signed a slew of executive orders on the first day of his second coming. Among these was declaring a national emergency at the US-Mexico border and ordering the deployment of troops to enhance border security.
Hours after Trump was sworn in, claims alleging that over three million Nigerians would be deported, went viral on social media but the claim was found to be untrue.
Trump’s deportation plans have faced huge criticisms from Brazil, Mexico and Columbia, leading to these complaints.
On Tuesday, two Columbian Air Force planes filled with 201 immigrants from the US landed in Bogota after a huge standoff between both countries.
Columbian President Gustavo Petro had refused to allow the military planes to land—a decision he was forced to withdraw after Trump threatened to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Columbian businesses.
