The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported 902 Nigerians since the start of the 2019 fiscal year, according to the agency’s 2024 Annual Report.
In addition, 3,690 Nigerians remain under removal orders, facing possible deportation.
Although deportations of Nigerians fell by 51.7 per cent — from 286 in 2019 to 138 in 2024 — ICE records show Nigerian removals surged during Donald Trump’s first two full years in office and may spike again in 2025 following renewed crackdowns.
Nigeria remains the African country with the highest number of deportees from the United States. Senegal follows with 716 removals, including 410 in 2024 alone, while Ghana ranks third with 582 removals. Mauritania recorded 491 removals, a significant jump from 58 in 2023, attributed to a faster Electronic Nationality Verification (ENV) system that sped up the deportation process.
Other African countries with notable deportation figures include Egypt (467), Somalia (406), the Democratic Republic of Congo (395), Liberia (379), Kenya (335), and Guinea (294).
Globally, Mexico topped the list with 434,827 removals between 2019 and 2024, followed by Guatemala (185,713), Honduras (142,349), and El Salvador (65,268). Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Venezuela also recorded significant deportation numbers.
ICE said the increase in removals in 2024 marked the agency’s busiest year since before the COVID-19 pandemic, with the top ten countries accounting for nearly three-quarters of all deportations.
Under U.S. immigration law, non-citizens may be deported for reasons including unlawful entry, overstaying visas, fraud, criminal convictions, or national security concerns.
The report traced the rise in deportations to President Trump’s Executive Order 13768 in January 2017, which expanded ICE’s enforcement powers. Nigerian removals peaked in 2019 under Trump before falling sharply during President Joe Biden’s administration, which prioritised removals of serious criminals and recent border crossers.
ICE defines “removal” as the compulsory movement of a non-citizen out of the United States following a removal order, typically after immigration court proceedings or expedited removal at the border.
Officials said the new electronic verification system had reduced processing times, enabling quicker deportations, particularly through charter flights to West African countries.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has urged the U.S. to ensure a humane deportation process, allowing deportees time to manage their personal affairs before repatriation.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) also announced readiness to assist returnees. NiDCOM’s Director of Media and Corporate Affairs, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the Federal Government had set up an inter-agency committee to prepare for any mass deportations from the United States.