U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that he is open to allowing migrant labourers to remain in the country—provided American farmers who depend on them for seasonal work are willing to vouch for them.
While addressing supporters during a campaign-style rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, Trump said he is working with the Department of Homeland Security to support agricultural businesses that rely heavily on seasonal migrant labour, according to Reuters.
He acknowledged the essential contribution of migrant labourers to U.S. agriculture and suggested that similar flexibility might be considered for the hotel industry, which is also experiencing labour shortages.
Despite his administration’s tough stance on immigration, led by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—who has been at the forefront of deportation efforts—Trump appeared to soften his tone for the sake of agricultural needs.
Some farmers have criticised the crackdown, warning that the shrinking labour pool is putting crops and their 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, speaking in a region where agriculture plays a central economic role.
Previously, verified sources reported that thousands of Nigerians in the U.S. were facing deportation as the Trump administration intensified its immigration crackdown. The information was based on new figures released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to a document compiled by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), as of November 24, 2024, there were 1,445,549 non-citizens on ICE’s non-detained docket with final removal orders.
Among those, 3,690 are Nigerians. An additional 1,454 Nigerians were in ICE detention awaiting deportation—bringing the total number of Nigerians affected 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.
ICE data also revealed that 772 of the 1,454 detained Nigerians were arrested due to criminal convictions or pending charges, while the remaining individuals were held for immigration-related violations such as overstaying visas.
Furthermore, 417 Nigerians were deported from the U.S. in 2024 alone, with 884 deported between 2019 and 2024.
The broad deportation effort is consistent with President Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement agenda, targeting undocumented migrants across the country.
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