Trump plans to suspend all immigration into US
US President Donald Trump says he plans to suspend all immigration into the US.
Describing the Covid-19 pandemic as an ‘invisible enemy’ Trump will sign an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration.
In a typical Trump-style cryptic Tweet, the President gave few details.
It is unclear when it will begin, for how long, or whether there will be any exceptions.
It is a move to ‘protect American jobs’ as well as contain the spread which has already claimed more than 40,000 lives in the US.
Covid-19 has cost about 22 million American jobs.
"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!" he tweeted.
Inevitably, Trump’s tweet sparked angry criticism.
He was accused of ‘xenophobic scapegoating’ to deflect criticism of his handling of the crisis.
"From the beginning Trump has flailed about seeking someone to blame for his own failure. Obama. Governors. China. People of Asian descent. Immigration has nearly stopped and the US has far more cases than any other country. This is just xenophobic scapegoating," said Virginia Congressman Don Beyer.
"President Trump now seeks to distract us from his fumbled Covid-19 response by trying to put the blame on immigrants," added NY Congressman Jerry Nadler.
It is unclear whether it will make much, if any, difference as most visa processing services are already on hold due to the pandemic.
The US accounts for nearly a quarter of all worldwide deaths from Covid-19.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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