Trump’s new, sudden migration ban could hit Nigeria hard

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced sweeping new immigration restrictions that could directly affect countries classified as “third-world nations”, a category that includes Nigeria following the fatal shooting of a National Guard soldier in Washington.

Trump’s move comes a day after an Afghan national allegedly opened fire on two soldiers deployed near the US capital as part of his controversial anti-crime military operation. One of the victims, 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, later died from her injuries.

In a post on his social media platform, Trump said he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover,” signalling his toughest restriction yet on immigration since returning to office.

He also vowed to reverse “millions” of admissions granted under former President Joe Biden and to “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States.”

The announcement has sparked immediate concern across several countries — including Nigeria — which rely heavily on student visas, work permits, and family-based immigration pathways into the US.

Meanwhile, the FBI has opened an international terrorism investigation into the 29-year-old Afghan suspect, who reportedly once worked alongside US forces in Afghanistan before securing entry into the country.

The White House says the shooting, described by officials as a “brazen, ambush-style attack,” justifies Trump’s heightened immigration crackdown and his deployment of National Guard troops in several Democratic-run cities.

Speaking during a Thanksgiving video call with US service members, Trump said the nation was “in anguish” over the killing and used the opportunity to defend his earlier decision to send soldiers into major cities.

“If they weren’t effective, you probably wouldn’t have had this done,” he said. “Maybe this man was upset because he couldn’t practice crime.”

Joseph Edlow, Trump’s head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), later announced a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card from every country of concern,” referencing a list of 19 nations already facing travel restrictions under Trump’s previous orders.

Afghanistan remains on that list. The administration has also halted all processing of Afghan immigration applications.

While Trump did not name the countries that will fall under the new blanket freeze, officials have indicated that the policy will apply broadly to all “third-world” nations  a definition that could see Nigeria and several African, Asian, and Latin American countries facing immediate visa disruption.