WASHINGTON, USA – A total of 902 Nigerians were deported from the United States between 2019 and 2024, according to the annual report from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
This figure marks Nigeria as the leading African nation for deportations from the U.S. over the past six years.
The report, published by ICE in 2024, provides a breakdown of deportations over the years.
In 2019, 286 Nigerians were deported, followed by 199 in 2020, 78 in 2021, 49 in 2022, 152 in 2023, and 138 in 2024.
In total, Nigeria leads the continent for deportations, with Senegal coming in second at 761 deportations, and Ghana in third with 582.
Other African countries with notable deportation numbers include Mauritania (491), Egypt (467), Somalia (406), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (395).
The U.S. also identified a significant number of Nigerians on the deportation list, with 3,690 individuals reported to be facing removal.
In comparison, Mexico, the U.S.’s neighbouring country, recorded the highest number of deportations, with 432,827 removals over the same period.
ICE’s enforcement and removal operations (ERO) directorate is responsible for identifying non-citizens for removal through law enforcement and intelligence techniques.
The report outlines that once a non-citizen is identified as a priority for removal, ICE investigates their case and determines whether deportation is warranted.
In the 2024 report, ICE revealed that during the fiscal year, it conducted 113,431 administrative arrests, including 33,243 at-large arrests, and seized over 1.6 million pounds of narcotics, more than $886 million in criminally derived assets, and approximately $192 million in virtual currency.
The operation also led to the identification and recovery of 1,783 child victims of exploitation.
