The Trump administration has moved to shut down nearly every legal pathway into the United States, with restrictions now covering family-based sponsorships, employer petitions, Diversity Visas, and refugee admissions, according to a Forbes report published on August 17, 2026. The White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is directing the push. The National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) projects the measures will reduce legal immigration by between 33% and 50%, cutting between 1.5 million and 2.4 million legal immigrants by the time Trump's current term ends.
Scope of Restrictions and Economic Impact
A separate NFAP analysis warned that the broader immigration crackdown, including deportations and the ending of Temporary Protected Status, could strip the US economy of roughly 19 million worker years by 2028 and as many as 102 million worker years by 2035, Forbes reports. The cumulative loss in goods and services produced is projected at $1.9 trillion between 2025 and 2028, or about $5,612 per person. Economic growth could fall by approximately one-third, and the federal debt is expected to rise as a result.
Nigeria Among 39 Countries on Proclamation List
A December 2026 presidential proclamation bars nationals of 39 countries, including Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Haiti, from entering the US on immigrant or temporary visas to varying degrees. A separate State Department announcement in January 2026 suspended immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries, citing welfare use rates. Across both lists, 93 countries are affected.
In the 2023 financial year alone, 481,460 people from those countries received US permanent residence, including more than 206,000 as immediate relatives of US citizens. The administration also stopped processing approximately 55,000 Diversity Visa cases and has effectively barred refugee admissions for all groups except white South Africans.
Diversity Visa Deadlines and New Public Charge Rule
The State Department confirmed that Diversity Visa selectees who do not receive a visa or status by September 30, 2026 will lose all benefit from their registration. In July 2026, a new public charge rule gave immigration officers wider powers to deny permanent residence applications based on predictions about future earnings or benefits use, even though family-based immigrants are generally barred from most federal welfare for at least five years after arrival.
Legal Challenges and Next Steps
Three class action suits are working through federal courts in California. A hearing in the Diversity Visa challenge, Medani et al. v Trump, is set for August 27, 2026 before Judge Edward J. Davila. Syed et al. v Trump, which challenges the 75-country suspension, goes before Judge John A. Kronstadt on September 21, 2026. The government missed its August 10 deadline to respond in that case, and Judge Kronstadt gave the administration until August 19, 2026 to file any opposition or face the motions being treated as unopposed.
Curtis Morrison of Red Eagle Law, lead counsel on all three cases, said: "What amazes me about Trump's mass deportation agenda is how much of the focus and financial resources are really on eliminating legal immigration. And they're not embarrassed about that." The court hearings in August and September will determine whether the restrictions remain in place or are temporarily blocked.
