Yomi Kazeem
Quartz

As part of new visa restrictions by the Trump administration, the US will no longer issue immigrant visas to Nigerian applicants.

While Nigeria is not the only country affected by the “ban” (Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar will also face similar restrictions while Tanzania and Sudan have been excluded from the United States’ popular visa lottery scheme), it is, by far, the most high profile country affected by what the Trump administration describes as a penalty for unsatisfactory security and information sharing standards.

By Ishaan Tharoor  The Washington Post

It says a lot about this fraught moment in U.S. politics that President Trump’s move to slap immigration restrictions on almost a quarter of Africa’s population transpired with little more than a murmur in Washington. But amid the final throes of the Senate impeachment trial and the chaos of the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, the White House reinforced its virtual border wall Friday when it added six countries to the administration’s list of nations subject to either sweeping travel bans or strict immigration limits.

Adding Nigeria to the expanded list of excluded countries just makes it more obvious.

By Jamelle Bouie. Opinion Columnist New York Times

A new ban from the White House hits one of the most successfully integrated groups in the country.

By Justin Fox Bloomberg

(Bloomberg Opinion) — This column will not render a verdict on whether the White House decision last week to suspend immigration from Nigeria — the world’s seventh most-populous nation — and five other countries was mainly an expression of bigotry from an administration led by a man who once likened African nations to latrines, or if it was a legitimate reaction to security concerns. It will, however, tell you some things you might not know about Nigerian immigrants in the U.S.

SAM HILL

President Trump announced an extension of the controversial “travel ban” to six additional countries, including Nigeria. It isn’t really a ban on travel but rather a tightening of admissions for immigrants. The stated rationale is national security. It’s a flimsy excuse and a dumb idea.

There’s scant evidence Nigeria poses a security risk to the U.S. “This is a big mistake. Why would Nigeria be on the list? It doesn’t have a history of terrorism against the U.S.