Nearly 80 Nigerians, others face US deportation for criminal convictions: US DHS

By Kabir Adeniyi

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans Tuesday to deport 79 Nigerians listed among what it described as “the worst of the worst” criminal aliens.

The DHS website said the Nigerians were convicted of fraud, drug peddling, assault, manslaughter, robbery and other crimes.

It added that under Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency are fulfilling President Donald Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations, starting with the “worst of the worst,” including those who are undocumented.

The Trump administration is aggressively targeting criminal and illegal immigrants in the US, with many Nigerians affected. Some have gone into hiding, while others are quietly leaving the country due to the intensified ICE deportation efforts. Some of the actions by federal immigration agents, including house raids, have sparked fear and controversy, especially after the high-profile fatal shootings of Americans in the US state of Minnesota,

Other African countries that have nationals facing deportation include Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.