CNN's Fareed Zakaria has analyzed the addition of Nigeria to
the US travel ban which in the last few weeks has generated lots of
controversy.
Recall that the White House announced that immigrants from
Nigeria and five other countries will no longer be eligible for visas allowing
them to live in the US permanently, expanding its controversial travel ban
policy. A presidential proclamation on
January 31 cited Nigeria's failure to comply with security and information
sharing requirements, and its high "terror" risk to the US as reasons
for imposing the restriction.
Fareed Zakaria who analyzed the development, considered if
the ban was a security measure or enforcement of President Donald Trump's view
on immigration. He pointed out no Nigerian has been responsible for any
terror-related attack in America in over four decades.
The CNN presenter insisted that if the reason for banning
immigrant visas from Nigeria is valid, then all visas including the temporary
one should have been banned as well.
Zakaria also disclosed that Nigerians are the most educated
immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa in the US of which 59% aged 25 and older
have at least a bachelor’s degree, according to migration policy institute.
He said;
“According to the Migration Policy Institute, 59% of Nigeria
immigrants aged 25 and older hold at least a Bachelor’s degree, that is nearly
double the proportion for Americans born in the US.
“It is also more than the proportion of immigrants from
South Korea, China, the United Kingdom and Germany. Nigerian immigrants also
get high scale jobs, 54% of them are in largely White-collar positions in
management, business, science and the arts than barely just 39% of people born
in the US.”
Zakaria cited a new American Research report which revealed
that Nigerian immigrants in the United States made more than $14 billion in
2018 and paid more than $4 billion in taxes in the United States. He also
averred that Nigeria is America’s second-largest trade partner amongst other
things.
