Deportation: Return home to avoid arrest – Sani tells Nigerians in US

The Former lawmaker, Shehu Sani has advised Nigerians hiding in the United States over deportation to avoid arrest and return home.

Sani’s remarks came amid growing concerns over intensified immigration enforcement and deportation actions in the United States.

In a post shared on X on Saturday, the ex- lawmaker who reacted to the reports of thousands of Nigerians going into hiding to avoid arrest from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying hiding was not a solution.

He urged affected individuals to respect themselves and consider returning to Nigeria on their own terms, noting that even US citizens are sometimes caught up during immigration enforcement operations.

According to him, “The thousands of Nigerians reportedly going into hiding in the US out of fear of deportation by ICE should respect themselves and return home to avoid arrest.

“A situation where sometimes even the US citizens are not spared, hiding is not an option. Those who are self deporting have read and understood the reality. Trump has 3 more years for everyone”, the former lawmaker concluded.
Report has it that a growing number of Nigerians living in the United States are withdrawing from public life, abandoning jobs, avoiding travel and, in some cases, quietly returning home.

This as a result of the United States President, Donald Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement campaign which has caused fear across the immigrant communities.

House-to-house enforcement actions, coupled with a series of fatal encounters involving federal immigration officers, have heightened anxiety and prompted difficult calculations about whether remaining in the US is worth the risk.
Trump relaunched an aggressive immigration agenda immediately after his January 2025 inauguration, ordering the ICE to prioritise rapid arrests and removals of undocumented migrants.

While previous administrations relied more heavily on targeted operations and court-based removals, the current approach has emphasised visible enforcement, including neighbourhood raids that critics say blur the line between immigration control and criminal policing.

According to ICE data and media reports, about 70,000 people have been detained since the latest crackdown began, with more than 540,000 deported. The human cost has become a focal point of opposition.

At least 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025, making it the deadliest year in more than two decades. In the opening weeks of 2026, UK newspaper The Guardian reported at least eight additional deaths linked to ICE interactions.