Data shared by US President Donald Trump shows Nigerian migrants rank low among immigrants receiving welfare benefits, despite facing US travel restrictions
Nigerians Rank Low Among Immigrants Receiving US Welfare Benefits, Trump Data Shows
Data released by United States President Donald Trump has shown that Nigerian migrants are not among the top recipients of welfare benefits in the US, contradicting popular narratives used to justify restrictive immigration policies.
The data, which Mr Trump shared on Sunday via his Truth Social platform, was published to highlight the proportion of immigrants from different countries who receive welfare support from the US government.
Out of a list covering about 118 countries, Nigeria ranked very low, with roughly one in three Nigerian immigrants (33.3 per cent) receiving welfare benefits. This placed Nigeria around 93rd position, far below countries at the top of the chart, many of which recorded rates exceeding 60 per cent.
At the top of the list was Bhutan, where about 81 per cent of immigrants reportedly receive welfare support. Yemen followed with 75.2 per cent, Somalia with 71.9 per cent, while Dominican Republic and Afghanistan recorded 68.1 per cent each. Congo and Guinea followed with 66 per cent and 65 per cent, respectively.
On the chart, Nigeria ranked just below Barbados (33.9 per cent) and slightly above North Macedonia and China, which recorded approximately 33 per cent and 32 per cent, respectively.
Despite Nigeria’s low ranking, Nigerian migrants remain subject to US travel and visa restrictions, a situation that contrasts sharply with countries such as China, Barbados, Colombia and the Bahamas, which have similar or lower welfare figures but face no such limitations.
The US restrictions bar Nigerians from entering the country as green card lottery winners, as well as on B1, B2, B1/B2, F, M and J visas.
Interestingly, several countries with significantly higher welfare usage rates, including Dominican Republic, Mexico, Guatemala, Bangladesh and Armenia, are not under US travel bans.
In its decision to impose restrictions on Nigeria, the US government did not cite the welfare data shared by Mr Trump. Instead, a presidential proclamation issued in December attributed the move to security concerns, including the activities of radical Islamist groups and Nigeria’s prolonged internal security challenges.
The figures have since reignited debate over the fairness and consistency of US immigration policies, particularly as they relate to African countries.
