President Trump announced Monday he would temporarily suspend immigration into the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The president said he would do so through an executive order.
“In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States,” the president tweeted.
In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2020
Mr. Trump didn’t say what his planned order would cover, but there has been a raging debate in recent weeks over whether the U.S. should continue to admit foreign workers at a time when the unemployment rate is expected to set modern records.
Immigrant-rights groups were bracing for the worst.
“When you’re a xenophobe, bans on migration are the only tired, failed, hateful solution you can think of,” said Charanya Krishnaswami, advocacy director at Amnesty International USA. “Suspending immigration won’t make the US — which currently leads among COVID cases worldwide — safe. Our policies need to be grounded in public health, not bigotry.”
