Six Nigerians deported from U.S. amid renewed immigration crackdown

Six Nigerians were deported from the United States on Wednesday after being convicted of various crimes, in what appears to be part of a broader U.S. immigration crackdown.

The deportees arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos around 9 a.m. aboard a Delta Airlines flight. They were received by officials from Nigerian government agencies, who are now tasked with determining the appropriate next steps regarding their reintegration or possible prosecution.

The deportation is reportedly linked to a larger effort by U.S. authorities to remove at least 3,000 Nigerians with criminal records from American soil.

The move comes amid renewed immigration enforcement efforts under the administration of President Donald Trump, who returned to office with a pledge to take a tougher stance on undocumented immigrants and criminal aliens.

President Trump has doubled down on immigration policies that he had previously championed. In his first 100 days, Trump initiated what was described as a sweeping crackdown on undocumented immigrants. He expanded detention protocols, authorized arrests outside schools and courthouses, and pledged to increase workplace raids to identify undocumented workers.

“It’s going to triple again,” said Tom Homan, Trump’s border enforcement chief, referring to the rise in immigration arrests at job sites. According to Homan, immigration enforcement at workplaces has tripled since Trump returned to office, with further increases expected.

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On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to compile a list of “sanctuary cities”—jurisdictions that the administration claims are obstructing federal deportation efforts.

The executive order sets a May 28 deadline for Bondi and Noem to release the list. It also instructs all federal agencies to identify sources of funding that could be suspended or revoked in these jurisdictions.

As for the six Nigerians deported this week, officials from multiple Nigerian agencies, including immigration, are now handling the case. Their identities and the specific crimes they were convicted of have not been publicly disclosed.

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