Although the US government has identified about 3,690 Nigerians to be deported under President Donald Trump’s policy of deporting undocumented migrants, it has yet to formally notify the Nigerian government, officials told PREMIUM TIMES.
This newspaper contacted the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inquire about what messages they had received from the US government about the Nigerians to be deported.
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NiDCOM referred all enquiries on the topic to the foreign affairs ministry. In its response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Nigeria has yet to receive official information regarding the total number of Nigerians to be deported or the date of their return.
The ministry’s acting spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, told PREMIUM TIMES that Nigeria will prepare to receive the deportees when a confirmed number and a date for their return are available.
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“For now, there’s no information in that regard. There’s no confirmation of the number or a specific date.”
Trump’s Policy
Since taking office on 20 January, President Trump has issued a series of immigration-related executive orders, laying the groundwork for a broad crackdown on undocumented migrants in the US, one of his major campaign promises.
At the heart of his immigration policy is a commitment to expelling unlawful migrants and fulfilling his promise of “mass deportations.”
The Trump administration deported over 37,000 people in the first month of its second term, to countries like Honduras, Ecuador and India.
However, there have been no deportations to Nigeria and most African countries yet with officials saying the monthly figures would increase.
About 3,690 Nigerian nationals who are considered to be residing in the US illegally have been outlined by the country’s ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) as part of those to be deported.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Nigeria had the second-highest number of citizens slated for deportation in Africa, following Somalia, which had 4,090.
Last week, the US envoy to Nigeria, Richard Miller, disclosed that the US was set to return the first set of 85 Nigerian deportees.
He said Nigerians who were convicted in the US would be repatriated to Lagos State as the first batch of deportees.
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“Those to be repatriated would be dropped in Lagos. There wouldn’t be room for whether it should be in Port Harcourt or Abuja.
“The first group will be convicted prisoners: those who committed crimes and are in the US prisons. Some of them are those who have violated US immigration laws. They appealed but were denied, yet they are still in the US. They have committed immigration crimes, people who have been ordered to leave,” he said.
However, Mr Ebienfa, the foreign affairs official, stated that the date of the return of the first batch has not been communicated to the ministry and the Nigerian mission in the US.
“The actual movement of the flight has not been concluded. When they are ready, they will inform us or our Mission in Washington, who will notify us.
“The normal diplomatic standard is that the host country will notify us, and then we will reach an agreement. Once we are informed, we will begin to prepare and inform the public,” he told PREMIUM TIMES.
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