FG prepares to welcome deported Nigerians from US — NiDCOM

The Federal Government is prepared to welcome Nigerians deported from the United States, according to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).

Speaking with Vanguard on Tuesday evening, NiDCOM’s Director of Media and Corporate Affairs, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is overseeing the situation.

Balogun added that the government has already established an inter-agency committee to manage the process if deportations occur.

“The Federal Government has set up an inter-agency committee comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NiDCOM, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to handle any mass deportation of Nigerians from the US,” he said.

However, he clarified that NiDCOM has not received any official information regarding Nigerians in the US currently being processed for deportation.

Reports indicate that approximately 3,690 Nigerians in the US face deportation amid former President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.

A document compiled by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and obtained by The PUNCH reveals that as of November 24, 2024, there are 1,445,549 non-citizens with final removal orders. The report, titled “Noncitizens on the ICE Non-Detained Docket with Final Orders of Removal by Country of Citizenship,” shows that Mexico (252,044) and El Salvador (203,822) top the list of affected nationalities.

ICE is responsible for combating illegal immigration and cross-border crimes that threaten US national security.

Last Thursday, hundreds of migrants were arrested, and others were deported on military aircraft as part of Trump’s mass deportation initiative. Nigerians and other African immigrants living in the US without legal status may be among the next groups targeted for removal.