U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is open to allowing migrant labourers to remain in the United States but only if the American farmers who rely on them for seasonal work are willing to vouch for them.
Speaking at a campaign-style rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, Trump told supporters he is coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security to support agricultural businesses that rely on seasonal migrant labour, according to Reuters.
Trump acknowledged the critical role migrant labourers play in U.S. agriculture and hinted at extending similar considerations to the hotel industry, which also faces labour shortages.
Trump has maintained a tough stance on immigration, with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem spearheading efforts to deport individuals who entered the country illegally.
This crackdown has drawn criticism from some farmers, who warn that a shrinking labour force is putting their crops and livelihoods at risk.
“If a farmer is willing to vouch for these people in some way, Kristi, I think we’re going to have to just say that’s going to be good, right?” Trump said.
“We don’t want to do it where we take all of the workers off the farms,” he added while speaking in a Midwestern state where agriculture plays a significant role in the local economy.
On January 29, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that thousands of Nigerians in the United States were facing deportation as the Trump administration ramped up its crackdown on illegal immigration, according to fresh data released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
A document compiled by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) revealed that, as of November 24, 2024, a total of 1,445,549 non-citizens were on ICE’s non-detained docket with final removal orders.
Among them, 3,690 are Nigerians, while an additional 1,454 Nigerians were in ICE detention and awaiting deportation, pushing the number to 5,144.
The report, titled “Noncitizens on the ICE Non-Detained Docket with Final Orders of Removal by Country of Citizenship”, showed that Mexico and El Salvador topped the list, with 252,044 and 203,822 individuals facing deportation, respectively.
According to ICE data, 772 of the 1,454 detained Nigerians were arrested for criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, while the remainder were detained for immigration violations, such as visa overstays.
Additionally, 417 Nigerians had been removed from the U.S. in 2024, while 884 were deported between 2019 and 2024.
The mass deportation effort aligns with President Trump’s renewed immigration enforcement policies aimed at removing undocumented migrants.
