Three Nigerians have been sent back to Nigeria from the United States after they were found guilty of committing different crimes while living there.

According to reports, their deportation is part of a larger plan by the U.S. government to deport around 3,000 Nigerians who have been involved in various criminal activities.

The three deportees arrived on Wednesday, May 14. They flew in on a Delta Airlines flight that landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos shortly before 9 a.m. Nigerian officials from different agencies were present to receive them and will decide what to do next.

During Donald Trump’s presidency, the U.S. government introduced stricter immigration rules, including an increase in the number of deportations as part of efforts to control immigration.

President Trump had started a tough approach to immigration within his first 100 days in office. He approved more arrests of people who broke immigration laws and even allowed officials to carry out arrests near schools and courthouses.

Earlier that week, Trump also signed an order asking the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to list all “sanctuary cities” – these are cities that, according to the government, do not fully support federal efforts to deport undocumented immigrants.