Trump Halts Work Visas for Nigerian, Foreign Truck Drivers; Tightens U.S. Immigration Rules
President Donald Trump’s administration has officially suspended the issuance of work visas for Nigerian and other foreign commercial truck drivers in the United States.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement issued on Thursday, told PulseNets that the suspension takes effect immediately.
“Effective immediately, we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers,” Mr. Rubio said.
According to the secretary of state, the decision was reached because a growing number of foreign truck drivers are displacing American truckers and, in his words, “posing a risk” to U.S. citizens.
“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Mr. Rubio explained.
Trump’s Wider Immigration Clampdown
This latest move comes as part of Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration clampdown since his dramatic second return to the White House in January 2025, PulseNets reported.
In addition to halting worker visas, the Trump administration has also introduced a controversial $15,000 bond requirement on certain U.S. visa applications. Under the newly launched 12-month State Department pilot programme, foreigners from countries flagged for poor database systems and high overstay records will now be required to deposit between $5,000 and $15,000 before entering the U.S. for business or tourism.
A State Department spokesperson, who spoke to PulseNets, clarified that even individuals holding “citizenship by investments without residency requirements” fall under the targeted group. Furthermore, their travel will be restricted to designated airports participating in the programme.
Nigeria Under Scrutiny
Nigeria is among the countries caught in the tightening web of Trump’s immigration rules. The U.S. Embassy in Abuja has already mandated that all visa applicants must disclose their social media usernames and handles spanning the past five years.
“Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last five years on the DS-160 visa application form,” the embassy stated.
Applicants, the embassy stressed, must certify that every detail provided in their application is correct before submission. PulseNets learnt that failure to disclose such information could result in outright visa denial and even long-term ineligibility for future U.S. visas.
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Analysts told PulseNets that these moves reflect Trump’s “America First” doctrine in action — protecting American workers, clamping down on undocumented or high-risk migration, and appealing to his political base ahead of 2025 midterm battles. Immigration lawyers, however, warn that Nigerian professionals and businesses could be disproportionately affected, worsening U.S.-Nigeria relations.
