Nigeria: Among the List of Countries added to the President's Travel Ban.
Thursday, May 23, 2024
Nigeria: Among the List of Countries added to the President's Travel Ban.
As of 2017, Nigeria boasts roughly 190.9 million people. That makes Nigeria one of the most densely populated countries in Africa. Nigeria is home to over 250 ethnic groups with over 500 languages. Of its population, the majority of Nigerians reside in the United Kingdom (500,000 to 3,000,000) and the United States (600,000 to 1,000,000). Large groups of Nigerians can also be found in South Africa, Gambia and Canada. Nigerians are among the most successful and highly educated immigrants in America.
It is common knowledge that Nigeria is home to a substantial network of organized crime. The high crime rate among Nigerians has led to Nigerians being stereotyped the world over. Particularly in the United States, Nigerians are collectively stereotyped. So for many - there was no surprise when President Trump added Nigeria along with five other countries (Sudan, Tanzania, Eritrea, and Myanmar and ) to the "travel ban countries."
- Sudan and Tanzania - combined population of 80 million. Residents from both countries are barred from participating in the visa lottery.
- Eritrea, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan - combined population of approximately 60 million. Residents from all three countries will not be able to apply for immigrant visas.
The Presidents travel ban, first introduced in 2017, originally restricted travel form Muslim-majority countries. At the time of the initial ban, scholars predicted over 135 million individuals were affected. Now, scholars are predicting that with the addition of the new countries, that number will be over 1 billion.
The restrictions on travel from Nigeria et. al, will affect all individuals seeking immigrant visas. Essentially, those individuals that have played by the rules. They are beneficiaries of petitions that were filed on their behalf. They will be punished for waiting their turn and adhering to United States Immigration Laws.
These individuals have names and faces: they are the children, spouse, and parents of United States Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents. Their families have spent resources, in the hopes of reuniting with their loved ones.
Now they have been told, their loved ones will not be able to immigrate, even though their petitions were, in some cases on the verge of being approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
President Trump's basis for this decision -the new countries:
- Have not engaged in reliable identity management and practices by sharing relevant information;
- Have not shared national security and public safety information;
- And pose a national security or public-safety risk.
Failing these assessments forced the new countries on to the list of countries that have their entry into the United States suspended and/or limited. The President is not done. In the January 31 Proclamation, the President has tasked the Department of Homeland Security to continue the assessment of additional countries and additional foreign nationals to determine whether additional suspensions or limitations on entry are warranted.
For some, the "Trump Travel Ban" has never been rooted in the proscribed assessment models. More so, many have propositioned, the travel ban was always meant to discriminate against people of color. Be that as it may, the President when questioned as to why his immigration polices were such, responded, "once you let Nigerians in, they would never go back to their huts."
The only question - WHO IS NEXT?