“Breaking News: Trump has imposed a ban preventing all Nigerian politicians from visiting the U.S. for any reason,” said January 21 posts on TikTok and Facebook.
The posts also claim that Trump ordered a freeze on international Nigerian bank accounts and that 2 million Nigerians now face deportation from the U.S.
But there is no evidence that the new U.S. president ordered any such travel ban or financial freeze that targets Nigerians. Trump did, however, begin a promised immigration crackdown at the start of his term, but available immigration statistics suggest thousands, not millions, of Nigerians could be affected.
NO BAN OR FREEZE
Trump was inaugurated on January 20.
As of February 14, there have been 94 presidential directives, including executive orders, memorandums, and proclamations, published on the White House website and in the Federal Register. None of the directives include restrictions on Nigerian politicians or actions against Nigerian bank accounts or their holders.
Citing experts, Reuters reported on January 27 that investors were showing interest in frontier markets, like Nigeria, as they are unlikely to be in Trump’s direct firing line for things like tariffs and other policy shifts.
FACING DEPORTATION
Trump’s immigration policies have primarily targeted illegal border crossings from Mexico, with the president declaring a national emergency and a broad ban on asylum for migrants crossing the southern border.
But there is no evidence that 2 million Nigerians face deportation from the United States.
There were 3,690 Nigerian citizens on ICE’s non-detained docket with final orders for removal as of November 24, 2024, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) document obtained by Fox News
Data from Pew Research Center, a think tank that conducts research on demographics, race, and ethnicity in the U.S., does not support the claim that 2 million Nigerians face deportation, a spokesperson for the organization told Reuters via email.
A spokesperson for the Migration Policy Institute, another think tank that conducts research and analysis on migration and refugee policies, said the organization estimates that all countries in Africa combined total around 3% (415,000) of the 13.7 million people it estimates live in the U.S. illegally.
The White House press office, a spokesman for Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury did not respond to requests for comment.
The U.S. embassy in Nigeria and Nigeria’s embassy in the U.S. also did not respond to requests for comment.
VERDICT
No evidence. There is no evidence that U.S. President Donald Trump banned Nigerian politicians from entering the U.S., nor taken action on Nigerian bank accounts and their holders. The total Nigerian population in the U.S. is estimated to be less than 500,000, thus impossible for 2 million to be deported.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.
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