The United States Government has temporarily halted legal immigration applications filed by Nigerians and nationals of other countries newly added to the US “travel ban” proclamation this week, CBC News reports.

The suspension primarily impacts immigrants from certain African and Asian countries, marking a further escalation of a broad crackdown on legal immigration initiated by the Trump administration this month.

Many of those affected by the pause are believed to be legal immigrants already in the United States who are seeking to change their immigration status or become US citizens.

Earlier in December, the Trump administration directed US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to freeze all immigration petitions, including requests for American citizenship and permanent residency, made by individuals in the US who are nationals of the 19 countries originally banned or restricted under the travel ban imposed in June.

That order, commonly referred to as the “travel ban” was one of several immigration restrictions announced in the aftermath of the Thanksgiving week shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., an attack reportedly carried out by an Afghan national.

The administration also suspended decisions on asylum cases handled by USCIS and the processing of all immigration and visa requests by Afghans.

Additionally, on Tuesday, Trump expanded the travel ban proclamation to include 20 more nations, fully barring immigrants and travellers from five new countries and partly restricting entry from 15 others.

Speaking with CBS News on Friday, a US official, who requested anonymity due to the internal nature of the changes — said USCIS has broadened its suspension of immigration cases to include the new nationalities added to the proclamation.

The pause will now affect nationals of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria, the new countries facing full travel bans.

It will also impact those from Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe, who face partial restrictions under the latest directive.

Previously, the suspension applied to nationals of Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Laos, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Yemen and Venezuela.

In his latest proclamation, Trump imposed a full entry ban on citizens of Laos and Sierra Leone, which previously faced only partial restrictions.

In a statement posted on social media late Thursday, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow appeared to allude to the expanded travel ban.

“USCIS is conducting a comprehensive review of anyone from anywhere who poses a threat to the US, including those identified in the President’s latest proclamation to restore law and order in our nation’s immigration system,” Edlow wrote.

Taken together, Trump’s latest travel ban affects nationals of over 60 per cent of countries in Africa and roughly 20 per cent of all nations worldwide.

Trump has defended the sweeping restrictions as necessary to safeguard national security and address concerns about the ability to vet people from the affected countries.

However, the decision has sparked reactions among Nigerians, with many denouncing the move as unfair and exaggerated, dismissing the security and religious freedom concerns cited by Washington.

Commentators highlighted potential diplomatic embarrassment and economic harm, while disputing or downplaying the rationale given by US officials.

Former senator Shehu Sani described the ban as “a clear signal that migrants from developing countries are no longer welcome.”

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