Trump Bans Nigerians, Others From US Citizenship, Green Card Process.

The United States has further tightened its immigration restrictions, extending a pause on citizenship and green card applications to people from 20 additional countries, including Nigeria, following President Donald Trump’s latest expansion of his travel ban policy.

A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed to CBS News that the changes have already been implemented internally, even though they have not yet been formally announced.

Under the new directive, the travel ban has been broadened to completely shut out immigrants and travellers from five more countries, while partially restricting entry for citizens of 15 others. 

As a result, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS, has widened its suspension of immigration case processing to cover nationals of the newly listed countries.

The full ban now applies to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria, in addition to countries already under total entry restrictions. 

Partial limitations affect applicants from several nations, including Nigeria, meaning affected individuals may no longer proceed with certain immigration applications.

Before this latest move, the suspension had already covered applicants from countries such as Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Venezuela. In the updated proclamation, Laos and Sierra Leone were upgraded from partial restrictions to a complete entry ban.

Commenting on the development, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow hinted at the expansion in a social media post late Thursday, stating, “USCIS is conducting a comprehensive review of anyone from anywhere who poses a threat to the U.S., including those identified in the President’s latest proclamation to restore law and order in our nation’s immigration system.”

Overall, the expanded travel ban now affects nationals from more than 60 percent of African countries and roughly one-fifth of all countries worldwide. 

While President Trump has defended the policy as a necessary measure to protect national security and strengthen immigration vetting, critics have condemned it as discriminatory, arguing that it disproportionately targets countries in Africa and Asia.