President Donald Trump said Monday in a tweet that he would sign an executive order that would immediately halt immigration into the United States, a move he said is necessary to protect American jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has ravaged the U.S. economy and has made 22 million American workers redundant.
In the tweet, the president said, "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!"
The executive order, which will most likely face legal challenges, would halt most visa processing, which means persons would not be able to apply for a visa to enter the US for the duration of the executive order. It would also place on hold U.S. citizenship interviews and ceremonies. However, according to the Wall Street Journal, most of these services were already placed on hold through an administration policy.
There will be exceptions in the executive order for a few groups, including farmworkers, who make up about a 10th of the U.S. workforce. Also exempted are some health-care workers, more pointedly those needed to help treat the coronavirus. The executive order is not expected to address immigrants already in the U.S. or the visa renewal process, according to WSJ.
Mr. Trump's tweet that Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, poses a great threat to the U.S. economy, stands in stark contrast to remarks he made several days ago when he announced plans to reopen the economy in a phased manner. Those plans suggest the administration believes the coronavirus threat was dissipating. Mr. Trump has even voiced support for protesters in some states who have called for the reopening of their states' economies.
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