The President of the United States has announced that he will sign an executive order to "temporarily suspend immigration to the United States" in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
"In light of the attacks by the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American citizens, I will sign an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration to the US," Donald Trump tweeted on Monday.
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 coronavirus has already killed more than 42,000 people in the United States, where 766,660 cases have been recorded. Some 22 million Americans have also lost their jobs due to the economic consequences of the epidemic.
Currently, Trump has not given any details on how he intends to implement this decision and for how long. Critics, however, have called the announcement an attempt at cracking down on immigration.
This action is not only an attempt to divert attention away from Trump’s failure to stop the spread of the coronavirus and save lives, but an authoritarian-like move to take advantage of a crisis and advance his anti-immigrant agenda. We must come together to reject his division. https://t.co/wYEai4rYVY
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) April 21, 2020
The US has already sharply restricted travel to China, where the new virus appeared in December, as well as banning travel between the US and most European countries in mid-March.
This news comes as the US is hit with riots from protestors calling for an end to the lockdown.
The Brussels Times
