Fear of raid, detention and deportation don make many African immigrant communities for America dey panic, and dis don force some of dem to go underground.
Immigrants tell BBC say na inside house dem dey stay now, dem dey skip work, reduce dia presence for public functions and no dey allow dia children go school sake of fear say officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fit detain dem.
One of dem na Kaduli, one Congolese migrant wey enta US 11 years ago.
Dem born Kaduli for Bukavu for di eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, just outside Goma, wey M23 rebels recently capture.
E be general physician bifor e run go DRC to escape arrest afta e criticise di President wey bin dey dia bifor, Joseph Kabila, say e change di constitution to extend im term limit.
Kaduli tell BBC say now im don reduce im movements for di US, wey include visits to restaurants and shopping centres, becos of fear say dem fit forcefully deport am.
“Di current raid dey put us in permanent fear as dem dey confuse all immigrants as criminals, wey no be true,” e tok.
“I dey fear becos war dey on for Congo. To send pesin back to Congo na to kill di pesin.”
Like Kaduli, Abdul, from Nigeria, also dey on di edge.
E go America wit im papa, wen e dey 10, dat na 30 years ago.
“I dey caution my waka and get faith in Allah say evri tin go dey alright,” di Wisconsin resident tok.
Abdul don hear and watch how ICE officials carry out dia operations for oda cities. E say im dey fear make di same tin no happun to am.
“E dey crazy how dem dey treat pipo, like say we no be pesin too. All of us be humans, and all of us dey bleed di same way,” e tok.
All di migrants we interview for dis tori say make only identify dem by only dia first names, dem dey fear retribution or attention from authorities.
Mass deportation
Since e return to di White House for January, di Trump administration don take di mass deportation wit all seriousness, as dem dey raid undocumented migrants for major cities.
E redirect military resources to empower immigration officers to make more arrests, wey include for schools, churches and hospitals. Dis don draw criticism from civil and immigrant right groups.
Dem don detain thousands of pipo, both criminals and those wey no get criminal histories.
Last week, ICE officers bin intensify dia arrests, as dem dey detain around one thousand pipo evri day.
By comparison, Joe Biden administration bin carry out an average of 311 immigration deportations of mostly criminals daily, according to ICE.
Trump government also dey reason to enforce di Alien Enemies Act, wey go allow authorities to quickly deport migrants dem feel say dey part of an “invasion or predatory incursion” — one law dem dey only invoke in wartime.
Pious Ali, one Portland city councillor for di state of Maine, tok say while deportations no dey new, dem dey abuse di process by raiding places like schools, churches and synagogues and “dem dey openly parade pipo” like criminals.
E say for migrants wey dey worried, e dey important to “write plan down for your family and put some food and money on di side”.
“If di agent knock for your door, dem no fit enta without a warrant from di court,” e tok.
Temporary Protected Status
Many African migrants dey live in fear sake of di uncertainty around di renewal of dia kontri tenure under di Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programme.
Dis dey allow migrants from qualified kontris — usually kontris wey dey witness armed conflict, natural disasters or oda “extraordinary and temporary” conditions — safety to stay for di US and apply for work permits.
Sylvie Bello, chief executive of di Cameroon American Council (CAC), one Washington-based organization wey dey advocate for Central African migrants, tok say di current uncertainty na sake of di policies of di previous Biden administration.
She say her community bin hope say Oga Biden go extend di TPS to Angola and DR Congo wen e visit there for November, im only travel go di continent.
“But e fail dem,” she tok.
“Black Africans wey dem no extend dia TPS fit face deportation now under Trump,” she tok.
About one million immigrants from 17 kontris – 5 for Africa – dey protected by di TPS programme.
TPS for immigrants from Cameroon, Ethiopia and South Sudan go end dis year. TPS for migrants from Somalia and Sudan go end for 2026.
“All my communities dey suffer from deportation anxiety,” Sylvie Bello tok.
Living in limbo
In recent years, Africans don increasingly turn to migration routes to enta America through South America and Mexico.
Nneka Achapu, one Texas-based US-Africa policy strategist, tok say dis na becos pipo see di Mediterranean crossing go Europe as too dangerous.
According to di ICE annual report for 2024, dem deport around 1,818 African individuals from di US, wit Senegal, Mauritania, and Nigeria top di list.
Out of di 1.4 million noncitizens di ICE schedule to deport from di kontri as of November 2024, three percent na Africans.
Somalia top di list wit 4,090 individuals, followed by Mauritania wit 3,822, Nigeria wit 3,690 and Ghana wit 3,228.
“We gatz go through dis for four years or however long dis goes on,” Abdul tok.
But US-Africa policy strategist, Nneka Achapu, tok say di situation fit be chance for di US African community to show dia resilience.
“As pipo face renewed attacks on immigrants, we dey reminded say di strength of African communities lie in working togeda, protecting di most vulnerable, and sharing critical resources,” she tok.
Achapu believe say dis uncertain time na opportunity for African governments to reorganize themselves, confront di root causes of migration, and create economic opportunities for dia pipo.
“If America continue to push immigrants away, China, Russia, plus oda global powers fit seize di opportunity to expand dia influence in Africa, offering alternative migration pathways, economic partnerships, and trade deals wey fit reshape di US-Africa relations in ways we neva fully grasp,” she tok.
About one million immigrants from 17 kontris – 5 in Africa – dey protected by di Temporary Protected Status programme