US President Donald Trump spotlighted welfare usage among immigrant groups by posting a chart on social media that pegged Nigerian households at over 33 percent participation in public aid programs, amid his administration’s push to tighten entry rules for dozens of nations including Nigeria.
The graphic, shared Sunday on Trump’s Truth Social account, ranked welfare recipient rates by immigrants’ countries of origin, drawing from data on food stamps, healthcare subsidies, and other benefits across some 120 territories.
Titled “Immigrant Welfare Recipient Rates by Country of Origin,” it placed Bhutan at the top with 81.4 percent, followed by Yemen at 75.2 percent, Somalia at 71.9 percent, the Marshall Islands at 71.4 percent, and both the Dominican Republic and Afghanistan at 68.1 percent.
Nigeria registered 33.3 percent, situating it mid-table, while the lowest figures hovered between 25 and 29 percent for arrivals from Bermuda, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Korea, and Kenya.2cea32
The release aligns with intensified Republican scrutiny of immigration’s fiscal toll, as the White House expands travel restrictions citing security lapses and poor cooperation from targeted states.
In June 2025, a presidential decree imposed full or partial bans on several countries over identity verification issues, with a December update extending curbs into 2026 and adding nations like Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria to outright prohibitions.
Nigeria fell under partial limits affecting immigrant visas and categories such as student, vocational, and exchange programs, effective from the new year.
