The United States is set to return the first set of Nigerian deportees under the Donald Trump administration to Lagos.
The US envoy to Nigeria, Richard Miller, disclosed this in Lagos, according to a statement issued by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
Mr Millier, according to the statement, said Nigerians who were convicted in the US would be repatriated to Lagos State as the first batch of deportees.
“Those to be repatriated would be dropped in Lagos. There wouldn’t be room for whether it should be in Port Harcourt or Abuja.
“The first group will be convicted prisoners. Those who committed crimes and are in US prisons. Some of them are those who have violated US immigration laws. They appealed but were denied, yet they are still in the US. They have committed immigration crimes, people who have been ordered to leave,” he said.
This is coming weeks after the US government identified 3,690 Nigerian nationals to be deported amid the nation’s clampdown on illegal migration.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged the U.S. to adhere to established protocols when deporting immigrants from its territory.
She highlighted the emotional and financial distress faced by many Nigerians in the U.S. since the new administration signalled its intention to deport certain categories of immigrants.
“With the new U.S. administration, we want commitments. If deportation must happen, it should be dignified,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated.
