US to Return First Set of Nigerian Deportees Under Trump Administration

Babatunji Wusu –

• The United States is set to return the first batch of Nigerian deportees under the Donald Trump administration to Lagos.
• The deportees will include convicted prisoners and individuals who violated US immigration laws.
• The US government identified 3,690 Nigerian nationals among 1.4 million “illegal migrants” to be deported.
• Nigeria has the second-highest number of deportees in Africa, following Somalia.

The United States is preparing to return the first group of Nigerian deportees under the Trump administration, with the repatriation scheduled for Lagos. US envoy to Nigeria, Richard Miller, confirmed this development in a statement released by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.

According to Miller, the initial batch of deportees will include convicted criminals who have served sentences in US prisons, as well as individuals who violated US immigration laws. These individuals were ordered to leave the country but appealed their cases unsuccessfully. Miller emphasized that the deportees would only be dropped off in Lagos, dismissing any requests for alternative locations such as Port Harcourt or Abuja.

This repatriation follows a recent identification of 3,690 Nigerian nationals among 1.4 million “illegal migrants” set for deportation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The deportation process is part of US President Donald Trump’s campaign to crack down on illegal migration, though it has faced criticism for potential violations of human rights and national laws. Nigeria ranks second in the number of citizens slated for deportation in Africa, with only Somalia having a higher count.