President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to suspend certain types of immigration into the US for 60 days to protect the jobs of Americans laid off due to the Covid-19 pandemic that has ravaged the country’s economy.
The temporary suspension of immigration will affect those who are legally seeking entry into the US for employment purposes but not the ones who are already living in the country, the order said.
Describing it as “a very powerful order” Trump told reporters during his daily news briefing at the White House on Wednesday that he signed the order to protect American workers’ jobs in an economy pummelled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“By pausing immigration, we’ll help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America reopens. It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labour flown in from abroad,” he said.
The executive order, which contains a number of exemptions, released by the White House, said the new provisions apply to foreign nationals outside the US who do not have an immigrant visa that is valid on the effective date of proclamation.
It also applies to those foreign nationals who do not have an official travel document other than a visa that is valid on the effective date of proclamation or issued on any date thereafter that permits him or her to travel to the US and seek entry or admission.
