- President Donald Trump wants to temporarily expel U.S. citizens and permanent residents from entering the country if they are suspected of having the coronavirus, The New York Times reported Monday.
- A draft proposal said that if a border official “is reasonable in thinking that the individual may have been exposed to or infected with the communicable disease,” they could be prevented from entering.
- The concept did not indicate how long the restriction would last.
- The Times added that it is not yet clear if a measure like this would be constitutional.
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President Donald Trump is seeking to temporarily expose U.S. citizens and permanent residents to the country if they are suspected of having the coronavirus, The New York Times reported Monday.
Trump suggested that citizens’ entry into the U.S. be denied if a border official “is reasonable in thinking that the individual may be exposed to or infected with the communicable disease.”
The proposal was sent to federal agencies that have until Tuesday to provide feedback, The Times reported.
The president had previously had nonresidents from several countries, including many European countries, ban the US from entering due to concerns about coronavirus.
The Times received a copy of the draft proposal and reported that the document clearly states that any order that would block a legal resident or citizen from entering the country should “include appropriate protections to ensure that no constitutional rights are violated. “
However, the proposal did not specify how long someone would be barred from entering the US.
An official familiar with the talks told Insider that the proposal is part of the Trump administration’s general approach to curbing the spread of the virus, and could change before it is finalized.
Some countries, including South Korea, have implemented mandatory quarantines for those traveling into the country to limit the spread of the virus.
According to The Times, the document specifically addresses the border with Mexico, a region that Trump has tried to control since the beginning of his first term, as part of a broader agenda to curb immigration. The proposal claims that the coronavirus has plagued Mexico’s health care system and is forcing Mexicans to seek care in the US, the newspaper reported.
Mexico has so far recorded more than 480,000 coronavirus cases with more than 52,000 deaths. In the U.S., more than 5 million cases have been recorded and more than 163,000 people have died from COVID-19, according to data from John Hopkins.
