East Asia is preparing for the impact of Typhoon Bavi, one of the largest and most powerful storms to threaten the region in decades, after landslides triggered by heavy rainfall claimed at least 15 lives in the southern Philippines.

The deadly storm has already unleashed destruction in parts of the Philippines, while Taiwan, Japan and China are racing to strengthen emergency measures ahead of its expected landfall. Authorities have suspended classes, cancelled flights, mobilised rescue teams and urged residents to stock up on essential supplies as the typhoon approaches.

According to weather authorities, Typhoon Bavi stretches about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) across at its widest point—roughly the size of France—and is moving across the Pacific toward Taiwan. It is expected to bring torrential rainfall to northern and eastern Taiwan, as well as a chain of remote Japanese islands, before making landfall in southeastern China on Saturday.

In the Philippines, overnight landslides on the island of Mindanao buried several families, leaving at least 15 people dead. Rescue teams are continuing search operations for those still missing, while officials warned that moderate to heavy rainfall would continue across affected areas throughout the weekend.

Taiwan has warned that the storm could dump up to one metre (39 inches) of rain, prompting the defence ministry to place about 29,000 soldiers on standby to support emergency response operations.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration told Reuters that Bavi is expected to be the largest storm by size to hit the island since 1987.

Farmers across the region rushed to harvest crops and protect farmland before conditions deteriorate, while fishermen secured their boats ahead of the storm.

“Don’t be fooled by the nice and calm weather now. A storm like this could be the most terrifying,” 60-year-old fisherman Chen Ming-hui told Reuters.

Authorities have also distributed thousands of sandbags to residents and business owners living in flood-prone communities.

Across the Taiwan Strait, Chinese authorities warned that the typhoon could have a “significant impact” even after making landfall, with forecasts suggesting it may continue moving northward across several provinces.

“Bavi’s large size and abundant energy mean its remnants and outer rainbands could move from Jiangsu and Anhui provinces toward the Bohai Sea region,” said Ma Jun, director of China’s Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs.

He warned that northern provinces, which have “less experience” dealing with typhoons than southern China, should “strengthen preparations.”

Some weather forecasts indicate that Bavi could make landfall twice in China.

Japan is also on alert, particularly across the remote Sakishima Islands, where residents have reinforced homes by taping windows and installing protective wind barriers.

Airlines across the region have cancelled hundreds of flights as a precaution. Japan Airlines suspended more than 100 flights for Friday and Saturday, affecting nearly 20,000 passengers, while All Nippon Airways cancelled more than 160 flights through Sunday, disrupting travel for another 20,000 passengers.

Thai Airways and Malaysia Airlines have also suspended flights to and from Taipei due to the approaching storm.

The latest weather emergency comes as parts of southern China continue recovering from the devastation caused by Typhoon Maysak earlier this week.

Maysak reportedly claimed at least 39 lives, forced the evacuation of more than 130,000 people—mostly in Guangxi—and caused extensive agricultural losses. The storm also triggered two rare tornadoes in central China’s Hubei province.

With Typhoon Bavi continuing to intensify, authorities across East Asia are urging residents to remain vigilant as emergency services prepare for what could become one of the region’s most destructive storms in recent years.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced plans to deport 124 Nigerians identified among what it described as the “worst of the worst” criminal aliens in the country.

According to a statement published on the DHS website on Wednesday, the affected Nigerians are part of an ongoing immigration enforcement exercise targeting foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes as the Trump administration intensifies its deportation programme.

While the department released the names and photographs of those listed, it did not specify when the deportations would begin or provide details of the individual offences committed by each person.

DHS Says Deportation Targets the “Worst of the Worst”

In a statement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the deportation exercise forms part of its broader effort to remove criminal immigrants from the United States.

The agency stated:

“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is highlighting the worst of the worst criminal aliens arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Under DHS leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations — starting with the worst of the worst — including the illegal aliens you see here.”

Although the DHS said those listed had been convicted of serious crimes, it did not disclose the specific offences linked to each individual.

List Of Nigerians Named For Deportation

The 124 Nigerians listed by the DHS include:

Sunday Adediora, Sunday Kunkushi, Mkpouto Etukudoh, Marcus Unigwe, Olaniyi Ojikutu, Boluwaji Akingunsoye, Ejike Asiegbunam, Emmanuel Mayegun Adeola, Bamidele Bolatiwa, Ifeanyi Nwaozomudoh, Aderemi Akefe, Solomon Wilfred, Chibundu Anuebunwa, Joshua Ineh, Usman Momoh, Oluwole Odunowo, Bolarinwa Salau and Oriyomi Aloba.

Others named are Oludayo Adeagbo, Olaniyi Akintuyi, Talatu Dada, Olatunde Oladinni, Jelili Qudus, Abayomi Daramola, Toluwani Adebakin, Olamide Jolayemi, Isaiah Okere, Benji Macaulay, Joseph Ogbara, Olusegun Martins, Kingsley Ariegwe, Olugbenga Abass, Adeyinka Ademokunla, Christian Ogunghide, Christopher Ojuma, Olamide Adedipe, Patrick Onogwu, Olajide Olateru-Olagbegi and Omotayo Akinto.

The list also includes Kenneth Unanka, Jeremiah Ehis, Oluwafemi Orimolade, Ayibatonye Bienzigha, Uche Diuno, Akinwale Adaramaja, Boluwatife Afolabi, Chinonso Ochie, Olayinka A. Jones, Theophilus Anwana, Aishatu Umaru, Henry Idiagbonya, Okechukwu Okoronkwo, Daro Kosin, Sakiru Ambali, Kamaludeen Giwa, Cyril Odogwu, Ifeanyi Echigeme, Kingsley Ibhadore, Suraj Tairu, Peter Equere, Dasola Abdulraheem, Adewale Aladekoba and Akeem Adeleke.

Also listed are Bernard Oretekor, Abiemwense Obanor, Olufemi Olutiola, Chukwuemeka Okorie, Abimbola Esan, Elizabeth Miller, Chima Orji, Adetunji Olofinlade, Abdul Akinsanya, Elizabeth Adeshewo, Dennis Ofuoma, Quazeem Adeyinka, Ifeanyi Okoro, Oluwaseun Kassim, Olumide Morakinyo, Abraham Ola Osoko, Oluchi Jennifer and Chibuzo Nwaonu.

Previous Deportation Announcements

This is not the first time the DHS has identified a large number of Nigerians for deportation.

In February 2026, the department announced plans to deport 79 Nigerians, also describing them as the “worst of the worst” criminal aliens in the United States.

At the time, the affected individuals were reportedly convicted of offences including fraud, drug trafficking, assault, robbery, manslaughter and other related crimes.

Nigeria Faces Increased U.S. Immigration Scrutiny

Nigeria has recently faced increased attention under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

In June 2026, the United States introduced partial visa restrictions on Nigerian citizens, citing concerns over identity management, information sharing, visa overstay rates and security screening procedures.

The latest deportation announcement is widely seen as part of the Trump administration’s intensified nationwide immigration enforcement campaign, which has prioritised the removal of criminal immigrants following the President’s return to office on January 20, 2025.

Conclusion

The inclusion of 124 Nigerians on the DHS deportation list highlights the continued expansion of the U.S. government’s immigration enforcement efforts. While authorities have confirmed that those listed were convicted of serious crimes, the department has yet to announce when the deportations will take place or provide details of the individual convictions. The development comes amid broader immigration measures affecting Nigeria, including recent visa restrictions and heightened security screening policies.

The Department of Homeland Security(DHS) has acknowledged that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, the man fatally shot by immigration agents during a Houston traffic stop on Tuesday, was not actually the person agents were looking for. Salgado, a Mexican national, was stopped at 7am while driving to work and was killed shortly after.

DHS said the stop was triggered because agents spotted “a white van with an individual who resembled the target” of an enforcement operation, and maintains the officer involved fired in self-defense. None of the agents present were wearing body cameras, and officials have released no footage or images from the incident. A DHS spokesperson told CBS News that half of its field officers now have body cameras, with the rest expected to be equipped within 60 days.

Salgado’s family said the 52-year-old had worked as a builder in the Houston area for three decades after arriving in the US as an undocumented migrant, had no criminal record, and was close to securing a work permit. He was driving himself and three co-workers to a job site at the time of the shooting.

DHS’s initial statement on Tuesday claimed Salgado had tried to evade arrest and rammed an ICE vehicle before the agent opened fire in self-defense; he later died in hospital. On Thursday, the department added that agents had observed two white vans at a surveilled address weeks earlier, and believed they had found a matching vehicle when they returned on Tuesday.

The shooting sparked protests in Houston on Wednesday, and four Democratic members of Congress — Sylvia Garcia, Al Green, Lizzie Fletcher and Christian Menefee — have called for an independent investigation. In a letter to DHS, they argued this was far from an isolated case of ICE using excessive force, and pointed to the earlier deaths of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis in January. They criticized DHS and ICE for repeating a familiar narrative of evasion, vehicle “weaponization” and self-defense rather than offering genuine accountability.

Separately, Mexico’s government announced plans to file criminal complaints in the US over the deaths of more than a dozen Mexican nationals in ICE custody. Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said 14 Mexicans have died in ICE custody and three more during ICE arrest operations, and that President Claudia Sheinbaum has directed him to pursue the complaints so these deaths are investigated as criminal matters.