Nigeria has emerged as the third African country with the highest number of deportations from the United States between 2020 and 2025, according to new data released by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The report revealed that 437 Nigerians were deported during the period, many due to criminal convictions or final removal orders issued by immigration judges. ICE’s actions are conducted under Title 8 of the U.S. Code, empowering its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers to deport non-citizens with final removal orders.
The data further highlighted the challenge U.S. authorities face in managing individuals with criminal backgrounds. In 2024 alone, out of 271,484 removals carried out by ICE, 32.7%—approximately 88,763 individuals—had criminal records involving offenses such as assault, sexual assault, weapons violations, and homicide.
Other African nations ranked by deportation numbers between 2020 and 2025 include Senegal with 689 deportations, Mauritania (481), Egypt (387), Ghana (276), Angola (227), Guinea (162), Somalia (154), Kenya (131), and Cameroon (66).
Meanwhile, despite the deportations, 897 Nigerians secured asylum in the U.S. over the past two years, according to case-completion data from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). In 2023, U.S. immigration judges granted asylum to 514 Nigerians, while 383 were approved in 2024—a 25% decrease year-over-year.
However, 501 Nigerian asylum applications were denied during the same period, with 265 rejections recorded in 2024 and 236 in 2023.
Among African nations, Nigerians were the third-highest group granted asylum in the U.S. in 2024, following Cameroonians with 527 approvals and Ethiopians with 291. Other notable figures included Ghanaians (238), Egyptians (203), and Eritreans (193).
Despite these numbers, African nationals still represent a small fraction of the overall asylum landscape in the United States, which continues to be dominated by applicants from Latin America and Eurasia.
Globally, Russia topped the list of asylum grants in 2024, with 3,605 approvals driven largely by draft evasion and political dissent related to the Ukraine conflict. China followed with 2,998 grants, while Venezuela and Nicaragua recorded 2,656 and 2,000 approvals, respectively.
Central American countries also saw significant numbers, with 1,684 Salvadorans, 1,624 Hondurans, 1,592 Guatemalans, 1,007 Cubans, and 751 Mexicans granted asylum.
On the other hand, Mexico recorded the highest number of asylum denials with 3,910 cases rejected, followed by El Salvador (2,880), Ecuador (2,774), Peru (2,424), and China (903).
U.S. asylum applications are governed by Section 208 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, allowing individuals to seek protection if they demonstrate a credible fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. However, asylum claims can be jeopardized by criminal convictions, missed filing deadlines, or evidence of prior resettlement in another country.
The U.S. asylum system operates through two channels: affirmative applications submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and defensive applications raised during removal proceedings before immigration courts. Denied affirmative cases are automatically transferred to the EOIR for further adjudication, where government attorneys can contest the release of applicants.
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