The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified 124 Nigerians among foreign nationals slated for deportation as part of an intensified immigration enforcement campaign targeting convicted non-citizens.
The updated list was published on the Department’s website on Wednesday, with the agency describing those named as part of its “worst-of-the-worst” category of criminal offenders arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Although the DHS released the names and photographs of the affected individuals, it did not indicate when deportation proceedings would commence or provide details of the specific offences for which they were convicted.
In a statement accompanying the publication, the department said the operation was in line with the administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement strategy.
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“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is highlighting the worst of the worst criminal aliens arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” the statement read.
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It added: “Under DHS leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations – starting with the worst of the worst – including the illegal aliens you see here.”
The list includes dozens of Nigerians, among them Sunday Adediora, Sunday Kunkushi, Mkpouto Etukudoh, Marcus Unigwe, Olaniyi Ojikutu, Boluwaji Akingunsoye, Ejike Asiegbunam, Emmanuel Mayegun Adeola, Bamidele Bolatiwa, Ifeanyi Nwaozomudoh, Aderemi Akefe, Solomon Wilfred, Chibundu Anuebunwa, Joshua Ineh, Usman Momoh, Oluwole Odunowo, Bolarinwa Salau and Oriyomi Aloba, alongside more than 100 others.
The latest action forms part of the immigration enforcement measures introduced by President Donald Trump following his return to office on January 20, 2025.
On his first day back in office, Trump signed a series of executive orders declaring illegal immigration a national emergency, tightening border security and directing federal agencies to accelerate the arrest and removal of undocumented migrants.
One of the directives, titled Protecting the American People Against Invasion, instructs immigration authorities to prioritise the detention and deportation of removable migrants, particularly those considered threats to public safety and national security.
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The DHS said the administration remained committed to implementing the President’s immigration agenda by prioritising the removal of convicted offenders.
According to the department, ICE officers have been directed to intensify nationwide operations against non-citizens with criminal convictions.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has also defended the policy, maintaining that the administration is enforcing existing immigration laws by removing undocumented migrants with criminal records.
Official US immigration data indicate that Guatemala has recorded the highest number of deportees since the renewed enforcement campaign began, followed by Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador, underscoring the administration’s focus on migrants from Latin America.
The United States has also expanded deportation flights to countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean as enforcement operations continue.
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