0
0
A United States government official has revealed that the administration of former President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to suspend the processing of green card and citizenship applications submitted by Nigerians and nationals of other countries recently added to the expanded U.S. travel ban.
According to a report by CBS News, the suspension was ordered on national security grounds and is part of an ongoing review of immigration screening and vetting procedures.
The directive follows a proclamation signed by Trump on Tuesday, December 16, which further restricts entry into the United States for nationals of countries classified as high-risk. The White House said the affected countries have “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information sharing” that pose threats to U.S. national security and public safety. Nigeria was listed among 15 additional countries placed under partial travel restrictions.
Earlier, on October 31, Trump had designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern,” citing allegations of widespread violence against Christians.
The suspension affects countries subject to full travel bans, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, Laos, and Sierra Leone. It also applies to countries under partial restrictions such as Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
In addition, nationals of countries previously affected by U.S. travel restrictions — including Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Yemen, and Venezuela — remain subject to the policy.
The latest move expands earlier restrictions announced in June. Laos and Sierra Leone were recently upgraded from partial restrictions to a full entry ban, prompting USCIS to extend the suspension of immigration petitions, including applications for permanent residency and U.S. citizenship, as the administration continues its review of immigration and national security policies.
