In a stunning turn of events, late on Monday, President Trump tweeted that “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!”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1252418369170501639
Trump did not offer specifics, such as the time frame or the scope of who would be affected.
Via BBC:
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 hard-hit European countries and China, though people with temporary work visas, students and business travellers are exempted.
In recent weeks, emergency powers have been used to expel thousands of undocumented migrants on the US border with Mexico. The public health measure lets officials override immigration laws, expediting removal processes.
As some noted, Trump’s decision to escalate the US response to the corona crisis is at odds with his desire to rush in reopening the country:
Trump, who says the country is ready to begin reopening, says the crisis is so bad that he is signing an order to "temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!"
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) April 21, 2020
And while we wait for more details, we wonder if this executive order will be followed by Trump canceling the November elections.
