Donald Trump suspends immigration over coronavirus
US President Donald Trump has vowed to suspend all immigration into the US in the latest dramatic response to the world spread of coronavirus.
The temporary move effectively delivers on a long-held Trump administration goal. But Trump said it was a necessary step to protect US jobs. The country has seen spiking unemployment claims, with a tenth of the workforce laid off.
“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,” Trump tweeted overnight.
But his decision drew ire from Democrats. They accused him of creating a distraction away from what critics have said is a flawed coronavirus strategy.
“As our country battles the pandemic, as workers put their lives on the line, the President attacks immigrants & blames others for his own failures”, former Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar tweeted.
The White House has not yet offered an explanation for the timing or legal basis of Trump’s decision.
Immigration into the US is already effectively banned over the coronavirus crisis. The US has stopped many flights from abroad and dozens of other countries have also instituted travel bans.
But the formal executive order to stop immigration concerns a hot topic with Trump supporters.
President Trump has cracked down on legal and illegal immigration into the US since his election in 2016.
And coronavirus has undermined Trump’s main argument for re-election, the strength of the economy.
“You cut off immigration, you crater our nation’s already weakened economy,” former Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro said of Trump’s decision. “What a dumb move.”
Already 22m Americans have filed unemployment claims over the coronavirus crisis. And more than 42,000 US citizens have now died from the disease.
But Trump has said the US coronavirus peak has passed, and he is now encouraging states to reopen their economies.
“It makes sense to protect opportunities for our workforce while this pandemic plays out,” said Thomas Homan, Trump’s former acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “It’s really not about immigration. It’s about the pandemic and keeping our country safer while protecting opportunities for unemployed Americans.”