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President Donald Trump announced what he described as a “temporary suspension of immigration to the United States.” But the executive order would ban only those seeking permanent residence, not temporary workers.
Trump said he would put a 60-day hiatus on green card issuance in an effort to limit competition for jobs in a coronavirus-destroyed U.S. economy. The order would include “certain exemptions,” he said, but declined to expose them, noting that the order was still being drafted.
“By pausing immigration, we will help put unemployed Americans first in the search for jobs as the United States reopens, so important,” Trump said at the White House on Tuesday (New Zealand time). “It would be wrong and unfair for Americans fired by the virus to be replaced by new immigrant workers sent from abroad.”
AP
Donald Trump described his plans to restrict immigration to the United States.
However, an administration official familiar with the plans said the order will apply to foreigners seeking employment-based green cards and relatives of non-citizen green card holders. Americans who want to bring the immediate family will still be able to do so, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity before the plan was announced. About a million green cards were awarded in fiscal year 2019, about half to spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens.
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By limiting his immigration measure to green cards, Trump left hundreds of thousands of foreign workers intact who were granted nonimmigrant visas each year, including farmworkers, healthcare workers, and software developers. The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan group of experts, estimated that some 110,000 green cards could be delayed during a two-month hiatus. Trump said he would consider extending the restrictions, depending on the economic conditions at the time.
Trump has long championed restrictions on legal and illegal immigration and has voiced concern for years about foreigners competing with U.S. citizens for jobs.
But he denied using the virus to fulfill a long-standing campaign promise during an election year. “No, I’m not doing all of that,” he said. The president has also used the crisis to push other stagnant priorities, from tax reform to dramatic border restrictions.
Trump has often turned to his signature immigration problem when under fire. He is one who he believes helped him win the 2016 election and who continues to cheer on his loyal fan base who are heading into what is expected to be a brutal reelection fight. It has also served as a useful tool to distract yourself from the news you’d rather remove from the headlines.
Much of the immigration system has already been halted due to the pandemic. Almost all visa processing by the State Department has been suspended for weeks. Travel to the US has been restricted. USA From much of the world. And Trump has used the virus to effectively end asylum on the borders of the United States, including rejecting children who arrive alone and ending refugee resettlement, something Congress, courts and international law have not. had previously allowed.
Criticism of Trump’s announcement was swift, especially its timing during the pandemic. Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum, noted that thousands of foreign-born health workers currently treat people with Covid-19 and work in critical sectors of the economy.
Andrea Flores of the American Civil Liberties Union said Trump seemed “more interested in fanning the anti-immigrant flames than saving lives.”
But Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors lower immigration rates, said ahead of the announcement that eliminating millions of work permits and visas “would instantly create” new jobs for Americans and other legal workers. , although most companies are closed due to the dictates of social distancing and orders to stay home.
He was less enthusiastic after Trump described the plan, tweeting a single word: “Yawn.”
In fact, Carl Shusterman, who has practiced immigration law since the 1970s, said a 60-day hiatus would have little impact because the government effectively stopped processing green cards in March.
“Embassies are not open anyway, so this is nothing new,” said Shusterman. “This announcement really doesn’t change anything unless the embassies open next week or in the next 60 days.”
Trump first announced his intentions in a vague tweet on Monday night. Across the country, those who could be affected waited on hold throughout the day. Chicago immigration attorney Fiona McEntee said she had been inundated with calls, emails, and social media messages, including from company executives hoping to expand their business in the US. USA ability “visas and foreign students.
“It has created absolute panic,” said McEntee. “These are people’s lives. It is irresponsible and cruel to pull something like that without any consideration.”
As is often the case, Trump’s tweet also caught many in the administration off guard.
Trump has already used the crisis to take dramatic steps to limit immigration. Last month, the administration effectively ended asylum, based on a rarely used 1944 law aimed at preventing the spread of communicable diseases. The United States’ borders with Mexico and Canada have also been closed to tourism and recreational travel. Commercial traffic and a wide range of “essential” workers can still travel freely.
The United States is now reporting more cases of Covid-19 than any other country in the world, with nearly 800,000 Americans infected, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 42,000 have died.
Trump was expected to use his authority to reduce the number of foreign workers who are allowed to take seasonal jobs in the United States. Before the outbreak, the administration had planned to increase the number of H-2B visas, angering people who favor more restrictive immigration policies, including some supporters of the president who see foreign workers willing to accept lower wages as unfair competition to the American workforce. The Department of Homeland Security then put that plan on hold.
