The Nigerian government says it is prepared to welcome its citizens being deported from the United States.
At least 3,690 Nigerians are among the 1.4 million “illegal migrants” set to be deported from the US.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been tracking individuals facing deportation, with a report listing over 1.4 million non-citizens with final removal orders.
While Mexico and El Salvador lead the deportation list, there is concern that African immigrants, including Nigerians, could be targeted next.
Reacting to the development, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is overseeing the process, and an inter-agency committee has been established.
This committee includes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NiDCOM, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the National Security Adviser’s office, to manage any large-scale deportations.
NiDCOM’s spokesperson, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, clarified that the commission has no information indicating that Nigerians in the U.S. are currently being processed for deportation.
“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, NSA, should there be mass deportation of Nigerians from the US,” Balogun said in an interview with Vanguard.
