According to a list of immigrant welfare statistics released by US President Donald Trump, over 33.3% of Nigerian immigrant households in the US live off some kind of public assistance.
On January 4, 2026, the graph was posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform amid the Republican Party’s ongoing emphasis on immigration, welfare dependency, and economic contribution discussions in US domestic politics.
The “Immigrant Welfare Recipient Rates by Country of Origin” chart, which spans over 114 countries and territories, displays the proportion of households that get public assistance in the form of food assistance, healthcare benefits, and other benefits.
Among the countries with the highest reported welfare rates, the top 10 are Bhutan – 81.4%, Yemen – 75.2%, Somalia – 71.9%, Marshall Islands – 71.4%, Dominican Republic – 68.1%, Afghanistan – 68.1%, Congo – 66.0%, Guinea – 65.8%, Samoa (1940–1950) – 63.4%, and Cape Verde – 63.1%.
The top 10 countries with the lowest percentage of immigrant households receiving assistance are Bermuda – 25.5%, Saudi Arabia – 25.7%, Israel/Palestine – 25.9%, Argentina – 26.2%, South America (unspecified) – 26.7%, Korea – 27.2%, Zambia – 28.0%, Portugal – 28.2%, Kenya – 28.5%, and Kuwait – 29.3%.
The Trump administration increased travel limits and immigration limitations on who can enter the country and under what circumstances, in addition to the welfare numbers. A presidential proclamation issued in June 2025 placed complete and partial travel restrictions on foreign people from a number of nations that were considered security hazards. The proclamation cited issues with terrorism, limited cooperation with U.S. immigration enforcement, and deficient identity document systems.
While partial limitations restricted specific visa categories, such as tourist, student, and exchange visas, for citizens of seven other countries, full bans prohibited all visa issuance and entry for citizens of twelve other countries.
The White House issued a revised proclamation in late December 2025 that extended existing regulations into 2026 and added 39 countries to the list, with full or partial restrictions going into effect on January 1, 2026.
Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria were among the new nations added to the full ban category. People possessing travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority were also prohibited.
Nigeria, Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe were among the countries to which partial restrictions were extended. This affected access to immigrant visas as well as many common non-immigrant visa categories, including F (students), M (vocational students), and J (exchange).
The Trump administration has enacted a number of immigration policy changes, such as increased screening and enforcement actions on several fronts, that indicate a harder stance on both legal and irregular migration. The United States drastically changed its visa requirements for Nigerians in July 2025.
The Department of State limited most kinds of non-immigrant visas to single-entry permits with a three-month validity period. As part of a larger initiative to harmonise international travel norms with U.S. security concerns, this replaced the prior system that permitted multiple-entry visas for up to five years.
These modifications to visa enforcement are a component of a larger immigration crackdown. According to reports, the Trump administration revoked about 85,000 visas in 2025. This number reflects tighter enforcement goals and broader review criteria that target foreign travellers and students.
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