- Nigeria ranks third among African countries for U.S. deportations between 2020 and 2025, with 437 removals
- Deportations were mainly due to criminal convictions or final immigration court orders
- Meanwhile, despite deportations, 897 Nigerians secured asylum in the U.S. over the past two years
According to data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Nigeria emerged as the third African country with the highest number of deportations from the United States between 2020 and 2025.
During this period, a total of 437 Nigerians were removed from the United States, many of whom faced deportation due to criminal convictions or final removal orders issued by immigration judges.
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division, operating under Title 8 of the U.S. Code, is authorised to carry out such removals.
The report underscores the persistent challenge the U.S. faces in managing non-citizens with criminal backgrounds.
In 2024 alone, ICE conducted 271,484 deportations, with 32.7% (approximately 88,763 individuals) involving people with criminal histories, including offences like assault, sexual assault, weapons violations, and homicide.
Among African countries, the highest numbers of deportations from the U.S. between 2020 and 2025 were recorded for:
- Senegal: 689
- Mauritania: 481
- Nigeria: 437
- Egypt: 387
- Ghana: 276
- Angola: 227
- Guinea: 162
- Somalia: 154
- Kenya: 131
- Cameroon: 66
Meanwhile, data from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) reveals a contrasting trend: 897 Nigerians secured asylum in the U.S. over the past two years.
In 2023, 514 Nigerians were granted asylum, while 383 secured approvals in 2024, reflecting a 25% decrease.
During the same period, 501 Nigerian asylum seekers were denied, with 236 rejections in 2023 and 265 in 2024.
According to the EOIR’s "Asylum Decisions by Nationality" portal under the U.S. Department of Justice, Nigerians ranked third among African nations for asylum grants in 2024, following Cameroonians (527 grants) and Ethiopians (291 grants). Other notable figures included:
- Ghana: 238
- Egypt: 203
- Eritrea: 193
- Senegal: 99
- Uganda: 86
- Sudan: 42
Despite these numbers, African nationals still represent a small share of overall U.S. asylum applications, which remain dominated by individuals from Latin America and Eurasia.
Globally, Russia led asylum grants in 2024 with 3,605 approvals, driven by citizens fleeing draft evasion and political repression linked to the Ukraine conflict.
China followed with 2,998 grants, as many dissidents fled government persecution. Venezuela and Nicaragua recorded 2,656 and 2,000 asylum grants, respectively.
Large numbers of asylum approvals were also granted to individuals from Central America:
- El Salvador: 1,684
- Honduras: 1,624
- Guatemala: 1,592
- Cuba: 1,007
- Mexico: 751
Conversely, Mexico recorded the highest number of asylum denials (3,910), followed by El Salvador (2,880), Ecuador (2,774), Peru (2,424), and China (903).
Under Section 208 of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, individuals may seek asylum if they demonstrate a credible fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
However, criminal convictions, failure to meet filing deadlines, and firm resettlement in another country may disqualify applicants.
The U.S. asylum system operates through two main tracks:
- Affirmative asylum: Applications filed proactively with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
- Defensive asylum: Claims made during removal proceedings in immigration court.
Denied affirmative cases are transferred to EOIR courts, where government attorneys are permitted to contest the applicant’s eligibility for protection.
Donald Trump allegedly plans massive deportation starting Inauguration Day
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Tom Homan, the border czar for President Donald Trump’s administration, revealed plans for significant operations targeting undocumented immigrants beginning on the day of the new president’s inauguration.
Homan, who previously served as acting director of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), described the looming deportation efforts as a “big raid” but explained that they would be “targeted enforcement operations” rather than indiscriminate actions while speaking with Fox News on January 18.