Nigerians living in the United States are on edge once again, following President Donald Trump’s latest declaration that there will be no amnesty for undocumented immigrants.
The U.S. leader, during a press conference on Tuesday, shut down earlier suggestions of offering legal protection to some migrant farm and service workers, insisting that deportation efforts would continue.
There’s no amnesty, Trump said. What we’re doing is we’re getting rid of criminals, but we are doing a work program.
This comes after weeks of mixed signals from the Trump administration, where the President had hinted at a possible temporary pass for immigrant workers vital to sectors like agriculture and hospitality. But officials on Tuesday took a firmer stance.
There will be no amnesty. The mass deportations continue — but in a strategic way, U.S. Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins said.
Rollins further suggested that able-bodied adults on Medicaid could fill the jobs left behind by deported migrants.
There are 34 million able-bodied adults in our Medicaid program, she noted. There are plenty of workers in America.
In Los Angeles, immigration enforcement has intensified. On Monday, federal agents stormed downtown areas, including MacArthur Park, detaining migrants and conducting street ID checks.
Immigration agents were seen riding horses, patrolling on foot, and driving armored vehicles. The operation sparked outrage from Los Angeles Mayor, Karen Bass.
What I saw looked like a city under siege and under occupation, she said. Children were at summer camp when ICE agents arrived.
Bass condemned the deployment of military-style tactics, calling it a political stunt and “un-American.
The Trump administration has ramped up its immigration clampdown since returning to office. The Department of Homeland Security disclosed that over 239,000 deportations have been carried out so far.
In California alone, more than 1,600 people were arrested between June 6 and June 22.
Although Trump previously suggested protecting migrant workers who have spent decades working on U.S. farms and in hotels, his latest remarks appear to backtrack on those promises.
The last major amnesty in the U.S. took place in 1986 under President Ronald Reagan, legalizing over 2.7 million undocumented immigrants. But many Trump allies and right-wing figures fiercely opposed any similar move.
I am a hard no on any amnesty, said Florida Republican Rep. Randy Fine. Deport them all.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk added: Amnesty is dead, a total nonstarter.
With thousands of Nigerians in the U.S. still regularizing their stay, many are now fearful of being caught in the wave of raids and mass deportations.
The Nigerian government has yet to react to the renewed clampdown.
