Nigerians in the US are worried about the prospect of more executive orders on immigration expected from President Donald Trump, likely to further restrict those from particular nations and install more stringent measures against all undocumented immigrants.
During teleconferences intended to equip Nigerian immigrants to the US with information about the travel ban, several of those immigrants expressed their concerns about the issue. This is according to the News Agency of Nigeria’s Correspondent. The teleconferences also aimed to allay unnecessary fears and to educate Nigerian immigrants on how they could avoid becoming victims of the tough new immigration policies introduced by President Trump.
Two influential Nigerian groups in the US – the Nigerian Lawyers Association, and the Organization for the Advancement of Nigerians – organized the teleconferences, which took place last Saturday. Among the concerns raised by many Nigerians were those about who had overstayed their US visas and had yet to sort out their documents, as well as those whose documents may display different names due to divorce, marriage, and other reasons.
Other concerns included those with criminal records, permanent or conditional permanent residency, and issues about investments, money, and property, should the new immigration policy result in deportation. Those who had overstayed their US visa were advised to keep out of trouble with the law, while those with criminal records were told not to apply for immigration benefits to avoid drawing attention to themselves.