Nigerians hoping to migrate to the United States may now have to wait indefinitely following President Donald Trump’s announcement of a permanent pause on migration from all so-called “Third World countries.”
The directive, which includes Nigeria, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Benin, and Pakistan, effectively shuts the door on new immigration applications from these nations.
In his Thanksgiving message on Thursday, Trump criticised decades of U.S. immigration policies, claiming they had left the country “divided, disrupted, carved up, murdered, beaten, mugged, and laughed at.” He argued that the influx of migrants from “failed nations, prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels” had eroded America’s progress.
“I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover… end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens, denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any foreign national who is a public charge or security risk,” Trump declared.
The announcement means Nigerians already in the U.S. could face heightened scrutiny, with the risk of denaturalization if deemed “non-compatible with Western Civilization” or accused of undermining domestic peace. Trump vowed to strip citizenship from migrants who, in his words, “are not a net asset to the United States.”
The policy shift comes amid rising concerns over security, following the shooting of two national guard members in Washington, D.C., by a suspect who entered the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome and was granted asylum last year.
For Nigerians, the implications are stark:
- Migration applications will be frozen indefinitely, leaving families and professionals unable to pursue opportunities in the U.S.
- Nigerians already naturalized or holding green cards may face denaturalization or deportation if classified as “security risks” or “public charges.”
- The directive signals a broader crackdown on immigrants from developing nations, with Trump insisting that “only reverse migration can cure the situation.”
This sweeping policy has sparked anxiety among diaspora communities, particularly Nigerians in the U.S., who now face uncertainty over their legal status and future.
