Deportation fears rise as Nigerians skip work, seek quiet exits, flee under Trump’s ICE drive

Fear has gripped immigrant communities in the United States as many Nigerians reportedly stopped going to work, gone into hiding, or begun returning home quietly following the intensification of deportation efforts under President Donald Trump. 

The renewed crackdown, driven by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has heightened anxiety among undocumented migrants and mixed-status families, disrupting livelihoods and daily life.

Ctimenews learnt that the sweeping actions, which include house-to-house enforcement raids, have stirred panic, debate and protest, particularly following a series of high-profile deadly incidents involving the federal immigration officers.

The US president kick-started an immigration policy to arrest and remove illegal immigrants immediately after he was inaugurated into office in January 2025.

However, the policy has drawn widespread criticism within the United States and beyond, with opponents condemning what they describe as the harsh and inhumane treatment of immigrants by ICE. 

Nigerians who spoke to ctimenews from the US said fear of arrest had forced many of their compatriots to abandon their workplaces, while others were quietly returning to Nigeria.

Data show that at least 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025, making the year the deadliest for deaths in immigration detention in more than two decades.

Recently, Nigerian woman broke into tears in a viral video on Instagram, lamenting the panic and grief of immigrants in the US.

The woman said she was traumatised by the killing of Pretti, an intensive care nurse at Minneapolis VA Medical Center.

She said ICE agents killed any immigrants, whether they were US citizens or not.

“It is very traumatising the way these (ICE) people are treating immigrants,” she said.

“President Trump, if you want the immigrants to leave America, tell us. Just come out and say, ‘All immigrants, we want you out, whether you are criminal or not.’

“These (ICE) people don’t even care. There are a lot of immigrants who are treated like animals, and these people will be telling them, ‘we are citizens’, but they don’t care,” she added in the post which went viral.