Former US President Donald Trump has claimed that about 33.3 per cent of Nigerian immigrant households receive some form of public assistance in the United States.
Trump made the assertion in a chart shared on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, detailing welfare participation rates among immigrant households across the country. The post comes amid his administration’s continued emphasis on public benefit usage as a factor in shaping immigration rules and eligibility standards.
The chart, titled “Immigrant Welfare Recipient Rates by Country of Origin,” covers immigrants from approximately 120 countries and territories and outlines the percentage of households receiving public support, including food assistance, healthcare benefits, and other welfare programmes.
According to the data shared, countries with the highest reported welfare participation rates among immigrant households include Bhutan (81.4 per cent), Yemen (75.2 per cent), Somalia (71.9 per cent), the Marshall Islands (71.4 per cent), and both the Dominican Republic and Afghanistan at 68.1 per cent.
Nigeria was placed near the middle of the chart, with 33.3 per cent of Nigerian immigrant households reportedly receiving some form of public assistance. Countries with the lowest participation rates included Bermuda, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Korea, and Kenya, with figures ranging between approximately 25 and 29 per cent.
The welfare statistics were shared alongside broader travel bans and immigration restrictions. In June 2025, the White House issued a presidential proclamation imposing full and partial travel bans on several countries, citing security concerns, weak identity verification systems, and limited cooperation with US immigration authorities.
Throughout 2025, the administration repeatedly stated that welfare usage should be considered in decisions regarding who is permitted to enter or remain in the United States. In late December 2025, it issued a public notice extending the restrictions into 2026 and expanding the list of affected countries to 39, effective January 1, 2026.
Under the revised measures, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria were added to the full ban category, while partial restrictions were expanded to include Nigeria and several other African and Caribbean countries. The partial restrictions limit access to immigrant visas and several non-immigrant visa categories, including student (F), vocational (M), and exchange (J) visas.
