President Donald Trump announced he would be enacting a temporary halt to immigration into the United States by executive order as part of efforts to prevent new outbreaks of Covid-19.
Trump tweeted: ‘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!’
Further details at the time of writing have not been revealed by either Trump or the White House.
There is some speculation that the Department of Homeland security is looking to exempt temporary guest workers, such as farm workers.
Response to the proposal seemed largely to be split along partisan lines, with most support for the proposal coming from Republican politicians and most critiques from Democrats.
Former Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro tweeted: ‘You cut off immigration, you crater our nation’s already weakened economy. What a dumb move.’
However, Trump’s former acting director of US immigration and customs enforcement Thomas Homan said: ‘It makes sense to protect opportunities for our workforce while this pandemic plays out. ’It’s really not about immigration – it’s about the pandemic and keeping our country safer while protecting opportunities for unemployed Americans.’