*United States President Donald Trump administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations officers comb churches, public places, and worship places, heightening uncertainty among illegal Nigerian immigrants, just as Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s Press Secretary, disclosed the largest deportation operation in history is yet underway

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

As United States (US) President Donald Trump administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Removal Operations team combs churches, public places, and worship places, anxiety is heightening among several undocumented Nigerian immigrants resident in the American country.

Some illegal Nigerian immigrants in the US disclosed they have restricted their movements to public places in order to avoid being arrested and deported back home unceremoniously, according to report.

绿帽献妻 also learnt the affected Nigerians yet expressed optimism that they would be protected against deportation by the several current lawsuits filed against President Trump over his immigration policies.

Still, as the deportation crackdown operatives intensify the exercise in the US, some of the illegal Nigerian immigrants said they had refrained from going to work, churches, and public places among others, ever since January 20, 2025, when Trump was inaugurated as the 47th US President in the Capitol Rotunda, in Washington, D.C.

ICE: 3,690 Nigerians face deportation

A document compiled by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Removal Operations reportedly indicated that about 3,690 Nigerians in the United States are currently facing deportation.

The document titled, “Non-citizens on the ICE Non-Detained Docket with Final Orders of Removal by Country of Citizenship”, indicated that Mexico and El Salvador top the list of nations facing the highest number of deportations, with 252,044 and 203,822, respectively.

The document further revealed 1,445,549 non-citizens were on ICE鈥檚 non-detained docket with final removal orders as of November 24, 2024.

Prior to the commencement of the deportation exercise, President Trump, on his inauguration day, signed a series of Executive Orders aimed at toughening immigration policies, including the termination of birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants in his country.

Lending credence to Trump’s Executive Orders, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) also threatened to prosecute local and state authorities that failed to comply with Trump鈥檚 immigration directives, which included a pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, according to report.

Following the directive, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations, January 23 this year, deported 538 illegal immigrants from the United States to Brazil, and other countries in Latin America.

Whereas Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s Press Secretary, recently disclosed on her official X handle, that the largest deportation operation in the US history is yet underway.

Why we no longer go out 鈥� Nigerian immigrants

It was learnt after the recent deportation flights to the Latin America, Nigerians and other illegal African immigrants in the United States might be the next targets for deportation by the American Government.

However, the affected Nigerians had devised means to avoid being deported, expressing fear that their forced return to Nigeria might spell doom for them, Saturday Punch report said.

In separate interviews, the illegal immigrants, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being identified, stated that their difficult living conditions in the US were better than returning to Nigeria, citing reports of hardship and insecurity as their major concerns.

‘Difficult living conditions in US better than returning to Nigeria’

Amid the rife uncertainty surrounding the continued stay of thousands of the illegal immigrants, one of the affected Nigerians, who resides in Tampa, Florida, said he had stopped going to work to avoid being arrested by ICE operatives.

The Nigerian said, 鈥淓ver since Trump came to power and acted on his threat of deportation, some of us have stopped going to work because ICE officers can raid workplaces to arrest illegal immigrants at any time.鈥�

The distressed Nigerian reportedly said he had stopped going to church and other public places, disclosing that the only safe place for him was his house.

He explained his ordeal: “I work in a factory with many other Nigerians and Africans. Some other Africans who are also illegal immigrants have stopped going to work.

“The fear of Trump is the beginning of wisdom now.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 go to church anymore because it is possible to be arrested there. For now, the only safe place is your house鈥攕tay indoors.鈥�

The immigrant, however, expressed optimism that the deportation exercise would be relaxed after some months.

He averred: “We survived Obama鈥檚 deportation actions; we will survive this one as well.

“We hope that the various lawsuits against the immigration policies will slow things down and eventually restrain Trump from carrying them out.鈥�

Explaining why he had yet to regularise his documents, the Nigerian said all efforts at validating his stay in the US had been futile.

According to him, all the systems he tried to obtain valid residency papers didn鈥檛 work for him, lamenting that he had lost close to $30,000 in the process.

鈥淚 left Nigeria for the US in 2013, and I have been trying to get my papers since then. I was scammed through marriage and other means.

“In this regularisation process, I have lost close to $30,000. At a point, I wanted to file for asylum, but I was advised against it because I had spent over three years without valid papers.

鈥淚 decided to take under-the-table jobs instead,鈥� he said.

Another illegal Nigerian immigrant in Columbus, Ohio, said he stopped going to work for the first week after Trump鈥檚 inauguration due to fear of being deported.

Though Nigerians are not the primary targets of the mass deportation exercise, any foreign national staying in the US illegally can be arrested and deported by ICE operatives at any time, he stated.

The Nigerian explained that the first set of illegal immigrants being deported were those with criminal records, noting that the process of deporting others without criminal offences had also begun.

He further said: “I cannot assume that Nigerians are not their target now and become exposed to them. No.

“The best self-defence is to stay out of trouble, and the best way to avoid being deported is to stay out of sight of ICE officers.

鈥淭he truth is, Trump鈥檚 war on illegal immigrants has restricted our movements. People are mindful of where they go now.”

The concerned immigrant noted: “The situation is like a rat monitoring the presence of a cat before stepping out.

“Personally, I stopped going to work the first week Trump was inaugurated, and I have not been going to work regularly since. May we not be unfortunate.

鈥淕oing back to Nigeria is not an option鈥攏ot when millions of Nigerians are trying to japa because of hardship and insecurity.”

He further said: “My difficult living conditions here are still better than what is considered 鈥榗omfortable鈥� in Nigeria.

“However, we hope that this threat will subside in the next few months.”

Many Africans anxious about Trump鈥檚 immigration policies: Nigerian Journalist

Speaking on the unfolding immigration blues, a Nigerian journalist in the US said several Africans in the country were anxious about Trump鈥檚 immigration policies.

He also stated: “If they ask all of us to go back to our countries, we will have no choice but to leave.

“It is their country. If Nigeria were a better place, nobody would have left in the first place, and many of us would be ready to go back home.

“But unfortunately, our country has been plagued by bad leadership.”

The media professional equally noted the deportation exercise is more welcomed in Republican-controlled states than in Democrat states in the US.

He also confirmed that several Nigerians and other Africans had restricted their movements in various parts of the US to avoid being arrested and deported.

鈥淚t is true that Nigerians are avoiding public places, including their workplaces and churches, but it is not in every state.”

Besides, a Nigerian Uber driver in New York, who identified himself only as Matthew, said some of his colleagues had been staying home and reducing their movements in the neighbourhoods.

鈥淎 lot of my Nigerian colleagues are not coming out for now. They can鈥檛 just risk it. They are all afraid of deportation.”

A Nigerian lawyer in the US as well disclosed that several Nigerian churches had instructed their members who are illegal immigrants to join online services henceforth.

He noted: “Some people have gone underground. Nigerian churches are advising their congregations to worship online and not come to church if they are undocumented.”

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