President Trump said he would put a 60-day break in the issuance of green cards in an effort to limit competition for jobs in a heavily hit US economy by the coronavirus. But he said there would be "certain exceptions" to the executive order, which his staff was still drafting Tuesday night.
An administration official familiar with his plans had previously said the order would focus on preventing people from obtaining permission to live and work in the United States. This would include those applying for green cards based on employment and family reunification through current non-citizen green card holders. U.S. citizens wishing to bring members of their families to the United States will be able to do so, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press before the plan was announced. About one million green cards were issued in fiscal year 2019, about half of which were for spouses, children, or parents of U.S. citizens.
By limiting his immigration card to green cards, President Trump left untouched hundreds of thousands of foreign workers endowed with nonimmigrant visas each year, including farm workers, health care workers, and computer programmers.
President Trump has long supported restrictions on both legal and illegal immigration, and has raised concerns for years about foreigners competing with American citizens for jobs.
But he denied that he was using the virus to keep one of his top promises of 2016, during an election year. "No, I'm not doing that," he said.
President Trump has often shifted his focus to his important immigration issue when criticized. He believes the issue has helped him win the 2016 election and will continue to revive his loyal base of supporters in the re-election campaign that is expected to be brutal.
At the White House, he said, "By (temporarily) stopping immigration, we will help put the unemployed Americans first, while America is reopening, that's important. It would be wrong and unfair for Americans to be laid off because of the virus to be replaced by immigrant workers from abroad. ”
He said economic conditions would be decisive in deciding whether or not to extend the measure.
Under normal circumstances a stop on immigration would affect millions of people, but a large part of the immigration system has already stopped operations due to coronavirus pandemic.
Criticism of President Trump's new decision was swift. Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum, noted that thousands of health care workers born abroad are currently treating people with COVID-19 and working in critical sectors of the economy.
Andrea Flores of the American Civil Liberties Union said President Trump appears to be "more interested in igniting the fire of anti-immigration than saving lives."
But Jessica Vaughn, director of policy study at the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors lower immigration rates, said eliminating millions of work and visa permits would "immediately" create new jobs for Americans and employees. others legal, although most businesses have closed due to physical distance orders and stay at home.
In a Twitter comment, the president called the coronavirus outbreak "an attack by an invisible enemy" and cited "the need to protect the jobs of American citizens."
The decision was met with criticism from some Democrats, who described it as an attempt to divert attention from the situation. They accuse the administration of slow and deficient response to coronavirus.
Immigration to the United States has been largely suspended thanks to restrictions on movement at the border, which were implemented in response to the spread of the epidemic.
In March, the Trump administration closed its borders with Mexico and Canada for non-essential travel, and banned the entry of any foreign national who has been to China, Iran or the Schengen countries in the past 14 days.
US diplomatic missions have continued to issue visas for emergencies, depending on the ability of personnel under social isolation orders. A State Department official said in March that the U.S. is willing to work with people who have received approval as qualified for a particular visa, including visas for health specialists.
The Trump administration recently announced the easing of regulations for agricultural workers who come to the U.S. with an H2A visa to help with the planting season or other busy periods for the sector.
Immigration restrictions have been a top priority for Mr. Trump, who has been criticized for not paying attention to coronavirus at first.
Analysts at the Cato Institute, which believes in minimizing the role of government in society and the economy, said in a blog that the president enjoys the authority to limit immigration to protect public health.
The U.S. State Department estimates that about 462,000 immigrant visas were approved during fiscal year 2019, and 577,000 gained permanent resident status.
So far, the United States has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, with over 804,000 confirmed infections and over 43,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Meanwhile, public health experts warn that other actions being taken by the Americans themselves could affect the further spread of the epidemic.
Leading US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci warned protesters who had filled the streets in many cities demanding the reopening of the economy, ignoring governors' orders to stay home, saying the country would not be able to recover economically without being controlled by the coronavirus. . In recent days, there have been protests in some US states against the governors of these states.
Demonstrators are demanding a easing of restrictions that have shut down businesses and led to the dismissal of 22 million people. The Trump administration says some parts of the country are ready to begin a gradual return to normalcy.
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I pray all will be in place
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