U.S. President Donald Trump recently shared a chart indicating that approximately 33.3% of Nigerian immigrant households receive some form of public assistance in the United States. The data was posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform on January 4, 2026, amidst ongoing Republican discussions surrounding immigration, welfare dependency, and the economic contributions of immigrants in U.S. domestic politics.
The chart, titled “Immigrant Welfare Recipient Rates by Country of Origin,” encompasses data from around 114 nations and territories, illustrating the number of households receiving various types of public support, including food assistance and healthcare benefits.
Among the countries with the highest reported welfare rates, the top ten include Bhutan at 81.4%, Yemen at 75.2%, Somalia at 71.9%, Marshall Islands at 71.4%, Dominican Republic at 68.1%, Afghanistan at 68.1%, Congo at 66.0%, Guinea at 65.8%, Samoa (1940–1950) at 63.4%, and Cape Verde at 63.1%.
Conversely, the countries with the lowest percentage of immigrant households receiving assistance are Bermuda at 25.5%, Saudi Arabia at 25.7%, Israel/Palestine at 25.9%, Argentina at 26.2%, unspecified South America at 26.7%, Korea at 27.2%, Zambia at 28.0%, Portugal at 28.2%, Kenya at 28.5%, and Kuwait at 29.3%.
In conjunction with these welfare statistics, the Trump administration has also intensified travel bans and immigration restrictions regarding who is allowed entry into the United States. A presidential proclamation issued in June 2025 imposed full and partial travel bans on foreign nationals from several countries deemed security risks, citing concerns over terrorism, inadequate identity document systems, and insufficient cooperation with U.S. immigration enforcement. Full bans prohibited all visa issuance and entry for citizens from 12 countries, while partial restrictions limited specific visa categories for nationals from seven other countries.
In late December 2025, the White House released an updated proclamation extending these policies into 2026 and expanding the list to 39 countries with either full or partial restrictions effective January 1, 2026. New additions to the full ban category included Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, while individuals travelling with Palestinian Authority documents were also barred. Partial restrictions were expanded to include Nigeria, Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, impacting access to immigrant visas and many common non-immigrant visa categories such as F (students), M (vocational students), and J (exchange).
The Trump administration has enacted a series of immigration policy changes that signal a tougher stance on both legal and irregular migration, including enhanced vetting and enforcement measures. In July 2025, the U.S. significantly revised its visa policies for Nigerians, introducing more restrictive terms for non-immigrant visas that limited most categories to single-entry permits with just three months of validity. This change replaced the previous system that allowed up to five-year multiple-entry visas and was framed as part of a broader effort to align global travel standards with U.S. security requirements.
These visa enforcement changes are part of a wider crackdown on immigration, with reports indicating that the Trump administration revoked approximately 85,000 visas in 2025. This figure reflects expanded review criteria and stricter enforcement priorities targeting foreign visitors and students.
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