Trump to suspend US immigration amid coronavirus pandemic

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said has that he would temporarily suspend all immigration to the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The president announced the drastic measure in a post on social media. “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!” Trump tweeted.

US President Donald Trump has said he will sign an executive order to temporarily suspend all immigration to the US to fight the coronavirus. This comes as the White House also argues the worst of the pandemic is over and the country can begin reopening.

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!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2020

The president’s announcement comes as the administration seeks to reopen parts of the US from the Covid-19 shutdown. Trump moved to ban travelers from other countries as the deadly illness continued to spread across the nation.

The US has already agreed with both Canada and Mexico to extend border restrictions on non-essential travel until at least mid-May. Travel has also been sharply restricted from Europe and China, though people with temporary work visas, students and business travellers are exempted.

There were no other details on the timing of the order or how far reaching it might be. The latest move is consistent with Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and pledge to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.

The country has 782,159 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 41,816 deaths. making it the most recent epicenter of the global pandemic. More than 22 million people have filed for unemployment aid since Trump declared a national emergency on 13 March.