Federal Government Prepares to Welcome Deportees from the US Amid Mass Deportation Operations
The Nigerian government is ready to receive any nationals deported from the United States, according to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM). In an interview with Vanguard on Tuesday evening, NiDCOM’s Director of Media and Corporate Affairs, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is overseeing the situation.
Balogun stated that an inter-agency committee, consisting of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NiDCOM, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the National Security Adviser’s office, has been established to handle any potential mass deportations from the US. However, he clarified that NiDCOM has not been informed of any ongoing deportation processes for Nigerians currently in America.
The announcement comes as approximately 3,690 Nigerians are reportedly at risk of deportation under former President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants. A recent document from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revealed over 1.4 million non-citizens, including many Nigerians, are subject to final removal orders.
The situation follows a recent wave of arrests and deportations, with hundreds of migrants being detained or sent back to their home countries. ICE, which enforces immigration laws and national security, lists Mexico and El Salvador as the countries with the largest number of people facing deportation.
As the deportation operation intensifies, Nigerians and other African immigrants in the US may soon become key targets of the crackdown.
. In an interview with Vanguard on Tuesday evening, NiDCOM's Director of Media and Corporate Affairs, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is overseeing the situation.){kind=link}