The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria has quietly revoked visas for numerous Nigerian citizens without prior notice, affecting professionals, entrepreneurs, frequent travelers and families.

According to Business Insider Africa, the federal facility has annulled these documents, citing “new information” under Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 41.122, but provided no further explanation, evidence or appeal process.

This latest move in the immigration crackdown affects Nigerians holding valid visas that were issued months or even years ago, many of whom had previously traveled to the United States without difficulty.

The revocations highlight ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Nigeria regarding immigration policies. Olufemi Soneye, the former chief corporate communications officer of Nigeria’s national oil company, NNPC Ltd, first noticed the action and described how longtime Nigerian travelers have now been blocked from re-entering the United States.

Nigerian citizens face humiliation following visa revocations

“Each had to abruptly cancel engagements, refund tickets, and explain to partners abroad why they could no longer show up. In some cases, the humiliation has been unbearable: travelers discovering at the airport, sometimes even at boarding gates, that their visas had been quietly invalidated,” Soneye wrote in an article for The Cable, a Nigerian-based newspaper, per Business Insider Africa.

He continued, “A few were briefly detained by immigration authorities before being sent home in shame,” noting that they were humiliated at local airports due to the revocation of their documents.

The sudden visa cancellations appear to be the latest in broader U.S. visa restrictions enforced by the Trump administration. In late August, Blavity reported that the U.S. Department of State had revoked over 6,000 international student visas, citing law violations like assault, driving under the influence, burglary and “support for terrorism.”

The effects of national U.S. visa cancellations

In June, the administration also rolled out new guidelines for international students looking to study in America on visas, which include having their social media accounts public to screen for “any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States.”

In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke out about the thousands of visas revoked for international students in an effort to protect colleges and universities.

“I don’t know the latest count, but we probably have more to do,” he said at the time. “We’re going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities.”