- US Suspends Immigration Applications From Nigerians and others.
- Trump expands travel ban to more African countries.
- Nigerians criticise move as unfair and harmful.
The United States government has temporarily suspended the processing of legal immigration applications filed by Nigerians and nationals of several other countries newly added to its travel ban proclamation, according to CBS News.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the suspension affects immigrants from parts of Africa and Asia and represents a further tightening of legal immigration policies under the Trump administration. Those impacted are largely legal migrants already living in the United States who are seeking to adjust their immigration status or obtain American citizenship.
Earlier in December, the administration directed the US Citizenship and Immigration Services to halt immigration petitions, including applications for permanent residency and naturalisation, from nationals of 19 countries previously affected by the travel ban announced in June. The move followed a Thanksgiving week shooting in Washington DC that killed two National Guard soldiers, an attack reportedly carried out by an Afghan national.
The directive also suspended decisions on asylum cases handled by USCIS and paused the processing of immigration and visa applications submitted by Afghans.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump expanded the travel ban to cover 20 additional countries, imposing full entry restrictions on five nations and partial limits on 15 others. A US official told CBS News that USCIS has extended the suspension of immigration cases to include nationals of the newly listed countries.
The full ban now applies to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. Partial restrictions affect Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Previously restricted countries include Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Laos, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Yemen and Venezuela. Laos and Sierra Leone have now been moved to the full ban list.
In a social media statement, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said, “USCIS is conducting a comprehensive review of anyone from anywhere who poses a threat to the US.”
The expanded ban affects over 60 percent of African countries and about 20 percent of nations globally. While the White House says the policy is driven by security concerns, critics in Nigeria have condemned it as excessive and damaging. Former senator Shehu Sani described the move as “a clear signal that migrants from developing countries are no longer welcome.”
