WASHINGTON: Trump administration officials said on Tuesday they were finalising an executive order that would temporarily halt immigration to the United States.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement that the president was “committed to protecting the health and economic well-being of American citizens as we face unprecedented times”.

“As President Donald Trump has said, ‘Decades of record immigration have produced lower wages and higher unemployment for our citizens, especially for African-American and Latino workers,’” she said. “At a time when Americans are looking to get back to work, action is necessary.”

Her statement followed a late-night tweet from President Trump that he would temporarily suspend immigration to the United States to reduce the impact of a massive unemployment caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“In light of the attack from the Iinvisible 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!” he tweeted.

And on Tuesday, administration officials told US media outlets they hope to draft the order in the next few days for the president to sign. The order will temporarily halt the issuance of new green cards and work visas.

Mr Trump had pledged curtailing immigration in his 2016 presidential campaign, and his aides hope that such steps would enable him to fulfil his promise and thus increase his re-election chances in November.

A second administration official told CNN the executive order would be a “temporary 120 days or so” halt on “some” work visas to mitigate some of the unemployment concerns related to the pandemic.

The New York Times noted that the president did not explain what legal authority he would invoke to implement this measure and whether the order would also ban family immigration.

Officials speaking to media outlets said the order would include some exemptions for farm workers and healthcare providers and could also exempt some other workers deemed “essential”.

According to CNN, the administration was also weighing expanded travel restrictions beyond the current bans on flights from China and Europe. It was not clear if those with green cards would be allowed to work as usual, the report added.

Other media reports noted that the Trump administration had already moved forward some of America’s most restrictive immigration policies, including blocking entry to asylum seekers.

Also, the pandemic had effectively cut off immigration to the US as refugee resettlement was on hold, visa offices were mostly closed and citizenship ceremonies were not happening.

An opinion survey released by the Pew Research Center, Washington, this week showed that President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak was widely criticised in the United States. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65 percent) said Mr Trump was too slow to take major steps to address the threat.

A Gallup survey noted that while President Trump initially saw an increase in popularity in mid-March, the latest poll showed his approval rating fell from 49 percent to 43 percent — the sharpest drop recorded for his presidency so far.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2020