United States President Donald Trump has reportedly imposed a partial travel restriction on Nigeria, as part of a series of new actions.
This was contained in a statement titled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security Of The United States,” signed by the US president and published on the website of the White House on Tuesday.
The new restriction is anticipated to affect Nigerians looking to travel to the US, as it cites security concerns and difficulties in vetting nationals.
The travel restrictions also affect citizens of other African as well as Black-majority Caribbean nations.
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According to the statement, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, had been instructed by Proclamation 10949 of June 4, 2025 (Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals To Protect the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats), to submit a report to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, describing his assessment and recommending whether any suspensions and limitations imposed by the proclamation should be continued, terminated, modified, or supplemented.
“After reviewing the report described in subsection (d) of this section, and after accounting for the foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives of the United States, I have determined to partially restrict and limit the entry of nationals of the following 15 countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d ‘Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
“These restrictions distinguish between, but apply to both, the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants,” Donald Trump stated.
Insecurity
According to Donald Trump, there are significant screening and vetting challenges since “radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts of Nigeria.”
As a result, he declared that Nigerians’ entry into the United States as immigrants and nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas “is hereby suspended,” and that consular officials would shorten the validity of any other nonimmigrant visas granted to Nigerians to the extent allowed by law.
“According to the Overstay Report, Nigeria had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 5.56 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 11.90 percent.
“The entry into the United States of nationals of Nigeria as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B‑2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas, is hereby suspended.
“Consular officers shall reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals of Nigeria to the extent permitted by law,” Donald Trump added.
African-Origin Immigrants
In recent weeks, the US president has criticised immigrants of African descent using more and more derogatory terms.
He claimed during a rally last week that the US should look for immigrants from Norway and Sweden instead of simply accepting individuals from “shithole countries.”
In the wake of a controversy involving Somali Americans reportedly defrauding the government of money for phoney contracts in Minnesota, he recently referred to Somalis as “garbage.”
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Recall that President Donald Trump had already banned the entry of Somalis. Other countries remaining on the full travel ban are Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Sudan, and Yemen.
In addition to Nigeria, the following nations have recently been placed under partial restrictions: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
President Donald Trump last month made the ban even more sweeping against Afghans, severing a program that helped bring in Afghans who had fought alongside the United States against the Taliban, after an Afghan veteran who appeared to have post-traumatic stress shot two National Guards troops deployed by Trump in Washington.
Former President Joe Biden praised Angola, Senegal, and Zambia for their dedication to democracy, and they have all been important US allies in Africa.
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