Trump govt resumes processing immigration benefits for Nigerians, 38 other nationalities
President Donald Trump’s administration has announced that it will resume processing green card, work permit and citizenship applications for individuals from Nigeria and 38 other countries after White House ordered an indefinite pause last year.
In two separate proclamations signed in December 2025 and January 2026, Mr Trump had directed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to continue accepting immigration benefits applications from nationals from mostly African and Middle Eastern countries but must delay making a decision indefinitely.
Citing national security concerns, the policies were initially imposed on 19 countries before the Trump administration added 20 more, including Nigeria, leaving millions of immigrants from the affected nations in legal limbo, prompting non-governmentals and labour representing the victims to file a lawsuit against the USCIS.
Ruling on the case on June 5, Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, struck down the proclamations, accusing Mr Trump of making the decision without statutory and regulatory authority.
Responding to the judgement in a statement on Friday, USCIS stated that it disagreed with the decision of Mr McConnell but will comply with the verdict with the possibility of the agency conducting further judicial review after the court entered its final judgement on Thursday.
“USCIS strongly disagrees with the Court’s order but will follow its terms pending possible further judicial review,” the agency stated.
The USCIS added, “On June 5, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island issued an order in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island, et al. v. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, et al., 26-cv-00132-JJM-PAS (D.RI.), vacating PM 602-0192, PM 602-0194, and PA 2025-26.
“The Court entered its final judgement on June 11, 2026. In this case, the plaintiffs are non-governmental organisations and labor unions who represent millions of individuals who filed immigration applications.”
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Showbiz
Venice Film Festival begins with George Clooney honoured with lifetime achievement award
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival has opened in Venice, Italy, with U.S. actor George Clooney receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement on Wednesday.
Anti-Corruption
Adeyemi’s PFIPC: House of Representatives’ panel clears Gbajabiamila of collusion
The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council has cleared Femi Gbajabiamila of wrongdoing.
Africa
173 Nigerian returnees from Libya arrive in Lagos
NEMA and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) received 173 Nigerian returnees from Tripoli, Libya.
Opinion
FIPRE framework offers operational blueprint for AFC’s $750 million climate-resilient fund
The FIPRE framework is designed to shift infrastructure practice “from delivering outputs to delivering sustainable outcomes”. It asks five plain questions of every project.
World
MapQuest becomes top free app in U.S. after refusing to rename Lake Ontario
Other platforms such as Apple Maps and Google Maps have changed the name of the lake for U.S. users.
Lagos
AGESI, NSE collaborate on engineering certification
Olufemi Dare, NSE Ibeju‑Lekki branch’s chairman, noted that the CREC™ programme “aligns strongly with our mandate to strengthen engineering practice and enhance member competence”.
