Trump: US Ambassador Mentions First Category of Nigerians that Will Be Deported
- US envoy Richard Mills Jr. revealed that Nigerian deportees, including convicted prisoners, would be dropped in Lagos, with the first group consisting of individuals who committed crimes and violated US immigration laws
- During a meeting with Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Mills emphasized the importance of dignified repatriation and discussed potential impacts on affected families
- Odumegwu-Ojukwu called for the US to follow conventions on deportation and address the concerns of Nigerian nationals facing repatriation
Lagos, Nigeria – The United States envoy to Nigeria, Ambassador Richard Mills Jr., has disclosed that Nigerian deportees would be dropped in Lagos.
Speaking on February 15 during an audience with Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Mills Jr. explained that convicted prisoners would be among the first set of Nigerian deportees.
Source: Twitter
Details of the repatriation plan
Mills Jr. stated:
“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 clearly 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.”
According to TribuneOnline, the US official also spoke about the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which ends in September this year, noting that it is up to the parliamentary group to push for its renewal.
“I think this administration will concentrate more on trade and commerce. This relationship is strong and we want it sustained,” Mills Jr. stated.
Nigeria's call for dignified repatriation
Minister Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged the US government to follow laid down conventions on deportation and to ensure dignified repatriation of Nigerians.
She emphasized the need for the US to find ways to alleviate the trauma of those being deported, including allowing them ample opportunity to retrieve their assets in America.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu highlighted the emotional and financial impact on families in Nigeria who depend on remittances from the US for survival and education.
The minister also expressed concerns over the likely suspension of the Drop Box Visa System and called for Washington DC to reconsider its possible suspension to prevent undue suffering for Nigerians seeking US visas.
She disclosed that about 14,000 Nigerian students in the US have parents in Nigeria who are worried about potential changes in student policy by the new US administration.
In her words:
“With the new administration in the US, we want a situation where there will be commitments. If there will be repatriation, we want a dignified return.
“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 concern 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,” Amb. Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.
Future of bilateral relations
The minister expressed the need for more impetus in bilateral relations between Nigeria and the US, particularly in the area of trade and investment in the mining sector.
She called for the reactivation of the 'Silent Secretariat' to assess bilateral relations and ensure continued collaboration.
Shehu Sani reacts to Trump’s mass deportation
Legit.ng reported that former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, said President Donald Trump’s mass deportation of undocumented immigrants from the United States is hypocritical and morally wrong.
Sani said the white population in America were historically ‘undocumented’ immigrants.
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Source: Legit.ng
