About 201 Nigerian immigrants in the United States immigration camps are set to for deportation any moment from now in line with Donald Trump’s immigration policy.
Of the figure, about 85 have been cleared for deportation to Lagos.
Many of those facing deportation are convicted prisoners.
US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills Jr., stated that these Nigerians committed crimes and are in U.S. prisons.
Mills Jr. spoke when he paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, at the Tafawa Balewa House, Abuja.
In a statement issued on Monday February 16, 2025 by Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s media aide, Magnus Eze, the US Ambassador said: “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 US prisons. Some of them are those who have clearly violated US immigration laws. They appealed but were denied yet they are still in the US. They have committed immigration crime, people who have been ordered to leave.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has urged the United States of America to follow laid down convention on deportation of persons in repatriating immigrants in their country.
Amb. Odumegwu-Ojukwu bemoaned the emotional and financial pains that many Nigerians in the United States were already experiencing since the new administration of the country indicated its resolve to repatriate some categories of people from the U.S.
She stated that the effect was far-reaching even to the hinterlands of Nigeria where for instance, several families including children relied on remittances from the U.S. for their survival and education.
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Highlighting that Nigerians in the U.S. deserved dignified repatriation, the minister asked the U.S. Government to find a way of ameliorating the trauma of those to be deported including allowing them ample opportunity to retrieve their assets in America.
“With the new administration in the U.S., we want a situation where there will be commitments. If there will be repatriation, we want dignified return.
“At the moment, we’re told that about 201 Nigerian nationals are in US immigration camps, and about 85 have been cleared for deportation.
“Will there be any way of ameliorating their pains? This has been of great concerns to not just Nigerian nationals in the U.S., but family members in Nigeria who depend on them for survival, children whose school fees are paid for by these diasporans.
“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? It will really be traumatic especially for those who had not committed any violent crime,” Amb. Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.
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