Foreign Affairs Minister Speaks Against Abike Dabiri On US Travel
Geoffrey Onyema, Foreign Affairs Minister, has advised Nigerians who intend to travel to the US to ignore the warning of the Senior Special Assistant, Abike Dabiri-Erewa as long as they have the correct travel documents.
Abike Dabiri had on Monday advised Nigerians who had no urgent reason to visit the US to suspend their plans of travel till there is clarity on Donald Trump’s immigration policy after claiming that several Nigerians have been deported and their visas cancelled at various US Airports.
However, Onyeama, while speaking with journalists in Abuja yesterday, urged Nigerians to ignore the travel warning.He said that the US Ambassador to Nigeria and other top officials had denied reports that Nigerians are being targeted for deportation.
Officials in Washington also denied the allegations by Dabiri-Erewa, saying that anyone deported probably did not satisfy border patrol agents that their stay will be temporary.
“CBP officers are trained to be skeptical. Security is their first concern, and you may encounter delays or secondary inspection,” an official said.
“Make sure nothing that you bring appears to contradict your visa status. If you are coming as a tourist, don’t bring along a book on how to immigrate to the United States or a stack of résumés,” she concluded.
In a report last year by Per Second News, it was revealed that the US government has proposed adding a line to forms filled out by visitors to the United States that would ask them to voluntarily disclose their social media accounts, a step that it said would help in screening for ties to terrorism.
The U.S Customs and Border Protection disclosed in a proposal in the Federal Register, that the social media information would give it extra investigative tools.
“Collecting social media data will enhance the existing investigative process and provide DHS greater clarity and visibility to possible nefarious activity,” the border agency said, referring to the Department of Homeland Security, its parent organization.
