The Trump administration is considering a move that could allow immigration officials to temporarily restrict U.S. citizens and legal residents, suspecting COVID-19 abroad from entering the ongoing pandemic, according to multiple reports.
A U.S. citizen as a legal resident could be barred from returning under the proposal if an official “reasonably finds that the individual is exposed to or is infected with the communicable disease,” The New York Times reported first.
Federal agencies were asked by Tuesday to submit their feedback on the proposed plan to the White House, according to the newspaper. It was not immediately clear when it could be approved or announced to the public.
The concept of the plan states that a mandate that blocks citizens and other legal permanent residents “should include appropriate protections to ensure that no constitutional rights are infringed” and that travelers cannot be blocked as a whole class. The documents, obtained by the Times, did not specify how long a citizen or legal resident would be required to stay out of the country.
“(US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) expects that any ban on the entry of U.S. citizens or (legal permanent residents) from abroad would only apply in the rarest of circumstances,” the draft states, saying the move would be “when required in the interest of public health, and be limited in duration.”
The concept appears to apply to all U.S. entry points throughout the country. However, it cites the spread of COVID-19 in Mexico as evidence of the rule, and specifically cites the state health minister Chihuahua, who died last month after being hospitalized for COVID-19 .
“As indicated, the stress that Covid-19 has placed on the Mexican health care system has put U.S. citizens, LPRs and others from Mexico in the United States seeking care,” the draft regulation says, according to the Times.
The Trump administration has been trying to curb travel from China, most of Europe and other hot spots for the virus since the pandemic began earlier this year. The US has also implemented border restrictions with Mexico and Canada, stopped refugee flights and more. However, all of these movements have exempted U.S. citizens and those with the permanent legal status to reside in the U.S.
The government already has the legal authority to shield U.S. citizens and set up quarantines, the Times noted.
Hill reached out to the White House for comment.
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