US to deport 201 Nigerians comprising ‘convicted prisoners, illegal immigrants’

The United States has pencilled 201 Nigerians for deportation amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal migrants.

Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, minister of state for foreign affairs, spoke about the development when Richard Mills, US ambassador to Nigeria, paid her a courtesy visit at the Tafawa Balewa House, Abuja.

Mills said “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,” he added.

“Some of them are those who have clearly violated US immigration laws. They appealed but were denied yet they are still in the US. They have committed immigration crime, people who have been ordered to leave.”

According to a statement issued Sunday by Magnus Eze, the minister’s media aide, both officials addressed concerns about the repatriation system, with Odumegwu-Ojukwu seeking a dignified deportation process for her compatriots.

“With the new administration in the US, we want a situation where there will be commitments. If there will be repatriation, we want dignified return,” she said.

“At the moment, we’re told that about 201 Nigerian nationals are in US immigration camps, and about 85 have been cleared for deportation.

“Will there be any way of ameliorating their pains? This has been of great concerns to not just Nigerian nationals in the US but family members in Nigeria who depend on them for survival, children whose school fees are paid for by these diasporans.

“We are asking as a country whether they will be given ample time to handle their assets or will they just be bundled into planes and repatriated?

“It will really be traumatic especially for those who had not committed any violent crime.”

UNCERTAINTY AROUND DROP BOX VISA SYSTEM, USAID

There has been uncertainty around the drop box process — a visa interview waiver that allows eligible individuals to obtain a visa without a face-to-face interview at the US embassy.

Some media outlets reported that the drop box visa processing option was no longer available for US visa applicants in Nigeria, while others reported otherwise.

Efforts to reach the US embassy for confirmation were not immediately successful.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu also urged the US to issue a statement clarifying its actual position on the drop box system to assuage the concerns of Nigerians.

She also asked that the US reconsider its stance if it was mulling a possible suspension of the policy.

In addition, Odumegwu-Ojukwu expressed worry about the status of USAID, inquiring if it was outrightly dismantled or merely suspended.

Addressing the minister’s concerns, the US ambassador said the drop box visa policy has not been suspended but added that it was being reviewed, as is expected whenever there is a change in administration.

Mills assured that the position of the new US government on USAID, drop box visa system, and other areas would be known in due course.