Former US President Donald Trump don announce new immigration restriction wey go affect people from 24 countries, including Nigeria. The policy, wey dem release on Tuesday, put full ban on some countries and partial restriction on others, as part of effort to tighten US border security and immigration control.
According to the policy explanation, the US government say many of the affected countries get serious problem with screening, vetting and information sharing, which make am hard for American authorities to properly assess people wey dey apply to enter the country. The restriction affect both immigrants and non-immigrants, including people wey dey apply for visitor visas, student visas and exchange programmes.
Under the new rule, eight countries face full suspension, meaning their citizens no go fit enter the United States at all for now. These countries include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Laos, Syria and people wey dey travel with Palestinian Authority-issued documents. The US government link the decision mainly to terrorism risks, internal conflicts, weak government control and high visa overstay rates.
For Africa, countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger get mention because of persistent terrorist activities and instability, while Sierra Leone and South Sudan dey face restriction because of high overstay rates and failure to accept deported citizens. Syria and Palestinian territories also dey affected because of war, weak documentation systems and security concerns.
Another 16 countries, including Nigeria, face partial suspension. This one no be total ban, but it restricts certain visa categories such as tourist, business, student and exchange visas. For Nigeria, the US government point to insecurity in some parts of the country, especially activities of extremist groups, as well as challenges with screening and information sharing. Though Nigeria overstay rate relatively lower than some other countries, the security concern still place the country on the list.
Other African countries under partial restriction include Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Outside Africa, countries like Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Tonga and Turkmenistan also appear on the list, mostly because of weak residency requirements, citizenship-by-investment programmes or incomplete identity management systems.
The US government insist say the policy no be punishment, but a preventive measure to protect national security and public safety. Officials say countries wey improve their screening systems, reduce overstay rates and cooperate better with US immigration authorities fit eventually get the restrictions lifted.
This decision don raise concern across many affected countries, especially for students, business people and families wey depend on travel to the US. Immigration experts believe the move go further strain diplomatic relations and limit opportunities for education, tourism and international business.
For Nigeria and other African countries on the list, the new restriction serve as reminder say insecurity, weak documentation systems and migration issues dey affect global mobility. Whether the policy go change soon go depend on how fast affected countries fit address the concerns raised by US authorities.
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