Some Nigerians living in the United States have gone into hiding, abandoned their jobs, or begun returning home quietly following an intensified immigration crackdown by President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Saturday reports learnt that fear has gripped immigrant communities as ICE stepped up house-to-house raids across several states, triggering panic, protests and renewed debate after a series of deadly encounters involving federal immigration officers.
Trump launched the aggressive immigration policy shortly after his inauguration in January 2025, ordering the immediate arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants.
However, the enforcement strategy has drawn widespread criticism over what rights groups describe as excessive force and inhumane treatment of immigrants.
Sources who spoke with Saturday PUNCH from the US said many Nigerians had stopped going to work, while others were discreetly returning to Nigeria to avoid possible arrest.
At least 32 people reportedly died in ICE custody in 2025, making it the deadliest year in over two decades for deaths in immigration detention. According to The Guardian UK, no fewer than eight people have died in encounters involving ICE officers in 2026 alone.
Recent incidents that heightened anxiety include the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti during ICE enforcement operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 7 and January 24, respectively. Medical examiners ruled Good’s death a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds.
Reports indicate that ICE has detained about 70,000 people since the latest crackdown began, while approximately 540,000 immigrants have been deported.
A Nigerian woman, identified as Senior Immigrant, broke down in tears in a viral Instagram video while lamenting the fear and trauma facing immigrants in the US.
Speaking to Saturday News, she said many Nigerians had resorted to online trading and home-based businesses after abandoning their jobs due to fear of ICE raids.
My shop attendant stopped coming to work in December after ICE came to our area. She became traumatised and fearful, she said.
People are staying indoors. Families are surviving through support from others who still work. Some factory workers stopped working entirely and started selling goods from home. Others cook and deliver food through online orders.
Corroborating her account, the President of the Nigerian community in Maryland, Mrs Chris Ademiluyi, said many immigrants had chosen to go into hiding rather than return to Nigeria.
Nigeria is not any better economically or security-wise. People are afraid to speak openly because of fear, Ademiluyi said, adding that Nigerian Americans were largely unaffected.
Meanwhile, the Lead Pastor of Lighthouse/Rejuvenation Church in Rosenberg, Texas, Shola Adeoye, warned on Facebook that fear was driving Nigerians out of the US.
Some Nigerians are moving back home because of fear of this administration. It is not wise to bury yourself before death,” he wrote.
The development has sparked debate on social media, with some Nigerians supporting voluntary return to avoid arrest, while others cautioned against panic decisions.
A Washington DC-based non-profit organisation, the Nigerian Center, said it had recorded a surge in Nigerians seeking guidance following the ICE crackdown.
Its Executive Director, Mr Gbenga Ogunjimi, said the situation was worsened by recent US visa restrictions on Nigeria.
He explained that Nigeria had been designated a Country of Particular Concern in 2025, followed by a partial visa ban in December that suspended several visa categories and restricted pathways to citizenship, work authorisation and asylum.
What many people don’t know is that the ban also affects their ability to adjust status or file for immigration benefits, Ogunjimi said.
He added that while many Nigerians were considering self-deportation, some had been advised against leaving if their immigration status could still be regularized.
We have seen people weighing their options. Some ask if they can return to the US if they leave. In some cases, we advise them to stay because their situation is not as bad as they fear, he said.
Saturday News gathered that uncertainty, fear and limited options have forced many Nigerians to reconsider their future in the United States amid the intensified enforcement campaign.
