By Omololu Omotosho,
The victory of Donald Trump in the polls is historic and it is a reflection of true democracy in the United States of America. It is on record that the sitting President of the United States of America campaigned vigorously for Secretary Clinton who by every account has more policy experience than Donald Trump. Working class White Americans voted enmasse for Donald Trump because they believed his promise of creating more jobs in America, bringing jobs outsourced to other countries back home, and building a wall between the Mexico and U.S.A. border will help improve their economic condition.
Nigerians with legal status in the United States of America have nothing to fear about deportation because America is not a county of men but of laws. Congress has to pass a bill and the bill signed into law by the President in order for the President to implement his or her immigration agenda.
Donald Trump does have the authority after been sworn in as President to issue executive orders that will administratively change how legal documents in order to live, visit, and work in America are issued. And also incoming President Trump can also vigorously enforce current immigration laws in the books in order to deport folks here in America without legal documentation to be here.
Naturalized citizens in the United States of America that are of Nigerian descent or descent from other countries have nothing to fear regarding deportation. It is unprecedented for a President to ponder deporting citizens of the United States of America nor is it legal. We are eager to see if Mr. Trump will fulfil his promises about building a wall along the U.S.A–Mexico border and vigorously profile Muslims as he suggested during the campaign.
Historically, Presidents have not always implemented every agenda they articulated during campaigns. It will be instructive to see what happens with the Presidency of Donald Trump. Generally, Nigerians in the United States of America preferred the candidacy of Secretary Clinton during the campaigns partly because her immigration policy was not as dramatic as that of President-elect Trump.
Nigerians are living their everyday lives with the victory of Mr. Trump as they did before and I suspect most without papers will try to legalize their stay in the United States of America as soon a possible.
I doubt that Nigerians without legal documentation will move back to Nigeria enmasse because most still feel they have more economic opportunities here in U.S.A as compared to Nigeria.
Omololu Omotosho is a 2013 Fellow with President Obama’s policy organization, Organizing for Action and the founder of Nigerians Saving Nigerians.