AMERICA'S CLOSED
Donald Trump vows to stop ALL immigration to the US to fight coronavirus & ‘protect jobs’
DONALD Trump has announced he plans to stop ALL immigration to the US to fight coronavirus and "protect jobs".
The President said the bombshell crackdown was aimed at fighting the "invisible enemy" Covid-19, which has killed thousands, stretching healthcare services and ravaging the economy.
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Coronavirus has infected nearly 800,000 people in the US, and more than 40,000 have died.
A record 22million Americans are now unemployed, with 5.2million filing for unemployment claims in the four weeks since Trump declared a national emergency.
The President tweeted last night: "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!"
A decade of job growth in the US has ground to a halt as the virus continues to spread across the country.
Trump's stewardship of the US economy was set to be his key argument for re-election to the White House in November.
The President offered no details as to what immigration programs might be affected, and the White House did not immediately elaborate.
But immigration is largely halted into the US already, with border restrictions and flight bans put in place as the virus spread across the globe.
In March, the President banned foreign nationals from travelling to the US from Europe and China during the pandemic.
And the US previously agreed with Canada and Mexico to extend border restrictions on non-essential travel until mid-May.
Trump said the border would be sealed off “mostly, and even beyond, but mostly during this global pandemic“, citing “unscreened” and “unvetted people” who enter the US from the southern border.
More than 6,300 undocumented Mexican migrants have also been expelled on the southern border during the pandemic under emergency laws.
Prior to the Covid-19 outbreak more than one million immigrants arrived in the US each year, according to the Pew Research Center.
But new immigrant arrivals have been falling in recent years due to a drop in unauthorized immigrants coming to the US, mainly from Mexico.
'IT MAKES SENSE'
Almost all visa processing by the State Department, including immigrant visas, has been suspended for weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But the President's stunning announcement last night has sharply divided opinion in the US.
Backing the plan, Thomas Homan, the President's former acting director of US immigration and customs enforcement, said: "It makes sense to protect opportunities for our workforce while this pandemic plays out.
"It's really not about immigration - it's about the pandemic and keeping our country safer while protecting opportunities for unemployed Americans."
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, called for all immigration to be stopped, tweeting. "Thank you, @realDonaldTrump!"
"All immigration to the United States should halt until every American who wants a job has one!"
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But the immigration ban will likely be met with opposition by Democrats, and will probably lead to legal challenges.
Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro tweeted: "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."
And New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler said: "President Trump now seeks to distract us from his fumbled COVID-19 response by trying to put the blame on immigrants.
"The truth is many immigrants are on our front lines, protecting us as doctors, nurses, health aids, farm workers, and restaurant workers."
TRUMP'S MIGRANT CRACKDOWN
President Trump's administration spent the first three years of his tenure cracking down on legal and illegal entries into the country.
Last night's dramatic announcement to halt immigration follows Trump's planned ban on Muslims entering the US.
In December, 2017, the Supreme Court ruled Trump's controversial ban extending to mainly Muslim countries could take effect.
Libya, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, as well as North Korea and Venezuela, are affected.
Trump also sparked controversy with his election campaign pledge to build a wall on the Mexican border to stop a "humanitarian and security crisis".
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During his presidential campaign, Trump promised supporters he would take a hard stance on immigration and build a giant wall on the country’s southern border.
He maintained Mexico would have to pay for it, saying he wanted to construct a barrier to keep out illegal migrants.
Crowds regularly chanted "Build the Wall!" at Trump's political rallies, which have been stopped during the virus.
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