Former U.S. President Donald Trump has shared data showing welfare participation rates among immigrant households, stating that approximately 33.3 per cent of Nigerian immigrant households receive some form of public assistance in the United States.
The data was posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform on January 4, 2026, as Republican leaders continue to focus on immigration, welfare dependency, and the economic impact of immigrants in U.S. domestic politics.
The chart, titled “Immigrant Welfare Recipient Rates by Country of Origin,” covers about 114 countries and territories. It details the proportion of immigrant households receiving public support, including food assistance, healthcare benefits, and other government programmes.
According to the chart, the countries with the highest reported rates of immigrant households receiving welfare include Bhutan at 81.4 per cent, Yemen at 75.2 per cent, Somalia at 71.9 per cent, the Marshall Islands at 71.4 per cent, the Dominican Republic and Afghanistan at 68.1 per cent each, Congo at 66.0 per cent, Guinea at 65.8 per cent, Samoa (1940–1950) at 63.4 per cent, and Cape Verde at 63.1 per cent.
On the lower end of the scale, the countries with the lowest percentages of immigrant households receiving assistance were listed as Bermuda at 25.5 per cent, Saudi Arabia at 25.7 per cent, Israel/Palestine at 25.9 per cent, Argentina at 26.2 per cent, South America (unspecified) at 26.7 per cent, Korea at 27.2 per cent, Zambia at 28.0 per cent, Portugal at 28.2 per cent, Kenya at 28.5 per cent, and Kuwait at 29.3 per cent.
The welfare data comes amid a broader tightening of U.S. immigration policies under the Trump administration. In June 2025, a presidential proclamation imposed full and partial travel bans on nationals of several countries deemed to pose security risks, citing concerns such as terrorism, weak identity documentation systems, and insufficient cooperation with U.S. immigration authorities.
Under the policy, full bans halted visa issuance and entry for citizens of 12 countries, while partial restrictions limited specific visa categories, including tourist, student, and exchange visas, for nationals of seven others.
In late December 2025, the White House issued an updated proclamation extending the measures into 2026 and expanding the list to 39 countries facing either full or partial restrictions from January 1, 2026. Countries added to the full ban list included Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, while individuals travelling on Palestinian Authority documents were also barred.
Partial restrictions were expanded to include Nigeria, Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. These measures affect eligibility for immigrant visas and several non-immigrant categories, including F, M, and J visas for students and exchange visitors.
In addition to travel bans, the Trump administration has pursued stricter visa enforcement. In July 2025, the U.S. Department of State revised visa rules for Nigerians, limiting most non-immigrant visas to single-entry permits valid for three months. This marked a significant change from the previous system that allowed multiple-entry visas valid for up to five years and was described as part of efforts to strengthen security standards.
Overall, the administration has adopted a tougher approach to both legal and irregular migration. Reports indicate that approximately 85,000 visas were revoked in 2025 as part of expanded reviews and stricter enforcement measures targeting foreign visitors and students.