Trump to order US borders closed to immigrants amid coronavirus crisis

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President Trump at a recent briefing of the caronavirus response effort.


Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

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President Donald Trump said late Monday he would sign an executive order suspending immigration into the US. Trump cited job protection in the face of the coronavirus pandemic as the reason behind the move.

“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!” Trump said in a tweet.

The US has the largest number of coronavirus infections, with more than 780,000 confirmed cases, an increase of more than 20,000 on Monday. The US death toll also exceeded 42,000 on Monday.

Trump’s announcement came amid mounting concerns the pandemic will have deep, long-lasting effects on the economy. Some economists suggest that we’re already in a recession, while others predict an economic future more dire than anything since the Great Depression. As many as 16.8 million US workers have applied for unemployment, with another 5.2 million joining their ranks just this week.

Under an order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in March, US border officials have moved to rapidly process migrants encountered along both land borders. The Trump administration also announced it would deny entry into the US by certain border-crossing migrants, including those seeking refuge, by invoking sweeping powers to deny entry to foreigners the government determines could carry a communicable disease.

source: cnet.com