Abstract

Migrants are deported for several reasons, including removal for public interest, and national security. Deportation should be a last resort for settled regular migrants. The conundrum of deportation of settled migrants encompasses unsettling the migrant and difficulty of re-integrating in the country of origin. This work is a critical appraisal of some decisions concerning the deportation of settled Nigerian migrants from the United Kingdom (UK). The study adopted the doctrinal research approach to review three deportation cases affecting settled Nigerian migrants in the UK, Balogun v. UK; KO (Nigeria) v. Secretary of State Home Department and Unuane v. UK who were removed from the UK as foreign criminals for public interest. This article recommends an objective test for assessing the proportionality of deportation decisions rather than a subjective case-by-case evaluation for a better outcome for affected persons, and qualifying family members among others.