The New Face of Deportation: Africans Hit Hard by Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
By Tendai Guvamombe
The second term of the Trump administration has seen a significant escalation in U.S. immigration enforcement, with Africans increasingly becoming a key demographic in deportation statistics.
While comprehensive data on deportations from 2024 to 2025 are still emerging, available information from government sources and research organizations indicates a dramatic increase in removals, a trend that is disproportionately affecting African migrants.
According to a CNN report from August 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported nearly 200,000 people in the first seven months of the administration.
This is part of a “maximalist” and “hardline” approach that has seen the re-opening of family detention centers, increased raids, and a broader use of existing immigration laws to expedite removals.
While Latin American migrants still constitute the largest group of deportees, the number of African nationals apprehended at the U.S. southern border has surged in recent years, making them a more visible target for enforcement.
Countries like Mauritania, Senegal, Angola, and Guinea have been highlighted as major sources of this migration.
This growing trend means that any large-scale deportation campaign will inevitably include a significant number of African nationals.
Furthermore, the administration’s policies have included a focus on negotiating “third-country” deportation deals, particularly with African nations.
Reports from Al Jazeera indicate that the U.S. has been in discussions with countries like Eswatini and South Sudan to accept deportees, including individuals who have been rejected by their home countries.
This strategy is part of a wider effort to overcome logistical challenges in the deportation process and is raising alarms among human rights groups who fear it could lead to human rights abuses.
This aggressive stance on immigration, which has been a central theme of the administration’s platform, is reshaping the landscape of U.S.-Africa relations and has placed significant pressure on African nations to accept the return of their citizens.
The statistics from the past year underscore a new and challenging reality for African migrants and the governments of their home countries.
