US Removes 2,330 Nigerians Within 11 years, 20 Already in 2025
- The United States has deported 2,330 Nigerians since 2014, including 20 removals already in 2025
- Deportations peaked during Donald Trump’s presidency but fell sharply under Joe Biden’s enforcement priorities
- Nigeria’s government has urged the US to ensure deportees are treated with dignity as more removals loom
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement has deported more than 2,300 Nigerians between 2014 and 2024, with 20 additional removals already recorded in 2025.
The figure brings the total number of Nigerians expelled in the past 11 years to 2,330, while another 3,690 remain under immigration review.
Source: Twitter
US removes thousands of Nigerians
ICE records show deportations of Nigerians dropped by nearly half in the period under review. From 261 removals in 2014, the number fell to 138 in 2024. The sharpest declines were recorded in 2021, when only 78 Nigerians were deported, and in 2022, when the total dropped further to 49.
The trend, however, has fluctuated. Deportations rose to 312 in 2017 and peaked at 369 in 2018, coinciding with Donald Trump’s first years in office and the introduction of stricter enforcement measures.
In 2019, 286 Nigerians were removed, while 199 followed in 2020. The decline began in 2021 during President Joe Biden’s administration, when ICE was directed to focus on recent entrants and offenders with criminal records.
ICE defines removal as the compulsory transfer of a non-citizen from the United States following an order issued by an immigration judge or administrative procedure. Reasons include criminal convictions, immigration violations such as illegal entry, fraud, terrorism concerns, or misrepresentation of citizenship.
Nigeria tops Africa’s deportation list from US
Nigeria ranks as the African country with the highest number of removals during the 11-year period. It is followed by Somalia with 1,539 deportations, Ghana with 1,380, and Senegal with 1,122. Across the globe, Mexico accounted for the highest removals with more than 900,000 people sent home in the same period.
Source: Original
The agency attributed part of the recent increase in deportations to the Electronic Nationality Verification programme, which enables consular officers to process identity checks electronically and fast-track chartered deportation flights.
ICE officials said the system has cut processing times from weeks to days.
In February 2025, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, raised concerns over the treatment of deportees during a meeting with US Ambassador Richard Mills Jr.
“We are asking as a country whether they will be given ample time to handle their assets or will they just be bundled into planes and repatriated?” she asked.
She urged US authorities to ensure that deportations, especially for non-violent offenders, are handled with dignity.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has said it is prepared to receive returnees.
“The Federal Government has set up an inter-agency committee, comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NiDCOM, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Office of the National Security Adviser, should there be mass deportation of Nigerians from the US,” NiDCOM’s spokesperson Abdur-Rahman Balogun said.
List of African immigrants scheduled for deportation from US
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the United States government had released updated data revealing that tens of thousands of African immigrants are currently listed for deportation.
The figures, current as of November 24, 2024, highlight the growing focus on immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, with nationals from Somalia, Mauritania, and Nigeria topping the list.
Source: Legit.ng
