The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published the names and photographs of 124 Nigerians identified as foreign nationals facing deportation after being convicted of criminal offences in the United States.
The list, released on the DHS website on Wednesday, forms part of the agency’s updated “worst-of-the-worst” criminal register, which highlights non-citizens targeted for removal under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policy.
While the identities of those affected have been made public, US authorities did not disclose when the deportations would take place or provide details of the specific offences committed by each individual.
According to the DHS, the publication is part of a broader campaign led by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to identify and remove foreign nationals with criminal convictions.
“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 agency said in a statement.
It added that immigration officials were carrying out President Donald Trump’s directive to prioritise the deportation of undocumented migrants considered threats to public safety, beginning with those convicted of serious crimes.
The published register includes dozens of Nigerians, among them Sunday Adediora, Marcus Unigwe, Emmanuel Mayegun Adeola, Ifeanyi Nwaozomudoh, Joshua Ineh, Usman Momoh, Oriyomi Aloba, Olaniyi Akintuyi, Talatu Dada, Kingsley Ariegwe, Olamide Adedipe, Chukwuemeka Okorie, Chima Orji, Abdul Akinsanya, Oluchi Jennifer and many others.
The latest development is part of the immigration measures introduced after President Trump returned to office on January 20, 2025. On his first day back in office, he signed executive orders declaring illegal immigration a national emergency and directing federal agencies to strengthen border security while accelerating the removal of undocumented migrants.
One of the executive orders, titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” instructed immigration authorities to prioritise the arrest and deportation of migrants considered risks to national security or public safety.
The DHS said the renewed enforcement drive is fulfilling President Trump’s campaign pledge to carry out mass deportations, adding that ICE officers have intensified operations across the United States against non-citizens convicted of criminal offences.
The immigration crackdown has also affected Nigeria beyond deportations. In June, the US government imposed partial visa restrictions on Nigerian citizens, citing concerns over identity management, information sharing, visa overstay rates and security screening. Official US immigration figures show that Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador remain among the countries with the highest number of deportees since the enforcement campaign resumed.
