The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released the names and photographs of 24 Nigerian nationals arrested by immigration officers in different parts of the country over alleged criminal offences.
The announcement, published on Thursday, forms part of President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement campaign, which targets non US citizens identified by authorities as having criminal records or facing criminal allegations.
According to DHS, the offences associated with the Nigerians include wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, drug related crimes, identity theft, weapons violations, assault, forgery, impersonation and child cruelty.
The individuals named include Emmanuel Omowaiye, arrested in Richmond, Texas, over alleged mail fraud; Olusegun Shonekan, linked to a wire fraud case in Newark, New Jersey; and Newton Jemide, whose listed allegations include wire fraud, conspiracy and mail fraud in Fort Dix, New Jersey.
Others include Shedrack Umukoro and Teslim Kiriji, both associated with money laundering cases in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and Michael Orji, whose listed offences include weapons violations, identity theft, fraud and money laundering in Oxford, Wisconsin.
The list also names Ifeanyi Ibennah in connection with alleged child cruelty in Tampa, Florida, and Babajide Oluwaseun Faseyi over an assault case in Alden, New York.
DHS said the arrests reflected its efforts, through US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to enforce immigration laws and carry out deportations under the Trump administration.
However, the department’s announcement did not provide the final immigration status of each individual or details of their respective legal proceedings.
Being named in the release does not establish that every listed offence resulted in a criminal conviction or that the individuals have already been deported.
Leave a comment