Nicki Minaj Reveals She’s Not a U.S. Citizen. Rapper Nicki Minaj recently revealed she is still not a citizen of the United States, even though she has paid “millions” in taxes over the years. The surprising admission came during a TikTok Live session earlier this week, where Minaj engaged with a fan about his personal situation and shared her own story.
“I’m not a citizen of America. Isn’t that crazy?” Minaj said during the live stream. She explained that she arrived in the U.S. from Trinidad and Tobago as an undocumented immigrant when she was a little girl and has remained in the country ever since.
“I was born on a beautiful island called Trinidad and Tobago,” Minaj continued. “But I’ve been in the States for many years. You would think that with the millions of dollars that I’ve paid in taxes to this country that I would have been given an honorary citizenship many, many, many thousands of years ago.”
Minaj’s immigration status has been public knowledge for some time. In 2018, she spoke out against the Trump administration’s immigration policies, particularly the separation of migrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. During that time, she shared her experience as a child arriving in the U.S. illegally.
“I came to this country as an illegal immigrant @ 5 years old,” Minaj wrote on social media in 2018. “I can’t imagine the horror of being in a strange place & having my parents stripped away from me at the age of 5. This is so scary to me. Please stop this. Can you try to imagine the terror & panic these kids feel right now? Not knowing if their parents are dead or alive, if they’ll ever see them again… 🇺🇸.”
Despite her status, Minaj has built a successful career in the United States and become one of the most prominent figures in the music industry. Her story highlights the complexities and challenges faced by many immigrants who contribute significantly to society but remain without formal citizenship.
The revelation has sparked conversations about the U.S. immigration system and the long, often arduous process of obtaining citizenship, even for those who have spent decades in the country and contributed significantly to its economy.
