The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that it has identified 3,690 Nigerians among the 1.4 million individuals classified as “illegal migrants” who are subject to deportation orders.
A document obtained by TND News from ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) shows that immigrants have been on ICE’s non-detained docket with final orders of removal since November 24, 2024. This docket includes individuals who have been ordered to leave the U.S. or are in the deportation process but are not held by ICE.
Nigeria has the second-highest number of citizens facing deportation in Africa, with 3,690 individuals, following Somalia’s 4,090. Ghana ranks third.
Reports show that over 7 million people are currently on this list, including those in federal, state, or local jails but not in ICE custody. Those in ICE custody are on the detained docket.
Globally, the highest numbers come from Mexico (252,044), Guatemala (253,413), Honduras (261,651), and El Salvador (203,822). Other countries on the list include China (37,908), Haiti (32,363), Iran (2,618), Pakistan (776), Uzbekistan (975), and Venezuela (22,749).
President Donald Trump has increased immigration enforcement, aiming for “the largest deportation in American history.” Since his inauguration on January 20, the Trump administration has overseen the arrest of over 3,500 undocumented immigrants by ICE. Deportation flights have started, using U.S. military aircraft to transport migrants back to their home countries or other designated locations. This has faced criticism from Democrats and rights groups for potential violations of due process and human rights. Some foreign governments, including Colombia, initially refused to accept deported citizens, citing mistreatment and accusing the U.S. of treating them like criminals. Colombia later changed its position after facing tariff threats from President Trump.
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The Pew Research Center estimates that around 11 million undocumented immigrants reside in the United States, which has a population of 341 million.
The ICE document emphasized that the “U.S. Government believes every country should accept the return of its citizens and nationals ineligible to remain in the United States.” It further indicated that insufficient cooperation from foreign governments hinders the removal process.
The U.S. Government urges foreign governments to verify the citizenship of noncitizens believed to be their nationals by conducting interviews, issuing travel documents promptly, and facilitating the return of their nationals via scheduled commercial or charter flights in accordance with ICE and foreign government removal guidelines.
The document states that if countries fail to cooperate in accepting the return of their nationals, ICE may categorize those nations as uncooperative or at risk of non-compliance.
View the deportation list here.
