The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has confirmed that the Federal Government is prepared to welcome Nigerians who may be deported from the United States.
Report gathered by YEPS News indicates that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is overseeing the situation, with an inter-agency committee already in place to handle any mass deportation.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, NiDCOM’s Director of Media and Corporate Affairs, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, stated, “The Federal Government has set up an inter-agency committee, comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NiDCOM, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), should there be mass deportation of Nigerians from the U.S.”
However, Balogun clarified that NiDCOM has not received any official information regarding Nigerians currently being processed for deportation.
YEPS News reports that approximately 3,690 Nigerians in the United States are facing deportation following Donald Trump’s intensified crackdown on illegal immigrants.
A document compiled by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its Enforcement and Removal Operations unit, which was sighted by YEPS News, reveals that deportation data is categorized by nationality.
As of November 24, 2024, ICE records indicate that 1,445,549 non-citizens are listed on the agency’s non-detained docket with final removal orders.
The document, titled “Noncitizens on the ICE Non-Detained Docket with Final Orders of Removal by Country of Citizenship,” shows that Mexico and El Salvador have the highest number of individuals facing deportation, with 252,044 and 203,822 people, respectively.
ICE is responsible for safeguarding the United States from cross-border crimes and unauthorized immigration that pose threats to national security.
Meanwhile, YEPS News gathered that last Thursday, hundreds of migrants were arrested, while others were flown out of the country on military aircraft as part of Trump’s nationwide deportation operation. Nigerians and other African undocumented immigrants in the U.S. may be among the next targets for removal under the ongoing crackdown.