US President Donald Trump announced today that he will sign an executive order to temporarily ban immigration to the United States, explaining that it is a step to protect American workers from the economic downturn caused by the outbreak of the emerging Corona virus.
This announcement comes after the adoption of precautionary measures to restrict travel to and from the United States, against the backdrop of the spread of the Corona epidemic, and months before the presidential elections scheduled for next November.
"Today, I will sign the executive order banning immigration to the country ... Meanwhile, even without this, our southern borders are very tight even for human traffickers," Trump said in a tweet on Twitter.
Trump stated yesterday that the ban he intends to impose on immigration lasts 60 days, and applies to applicants for permanent residence (the green card).
He stressed that the executive order will not include individuals who enter the United States for temporary periods, and that the decision will be reassessed after the lapse of two months.
"It would be wrong and unfair for Americans who lost their jobs due to the virus to replace them with new immigrant workers coming from abroad ... We must first take care of the American factor," he told reporters at the White House.
It is noteworthy that President Trump, who belongs to the Republican Party, arrived in the White House in 2016 with a program that includes strict measures against immigration.
Critics believe that this latest announcement is a step to take advantage of the Corona crisis to implement a political goal that he has been seeking for a long time, although the possibility of challenging the executive order before the court is available.
A senior official said that the Trump administration is also studying another measure that includes those affected by the US immigration policy, including holders of the "H-1B" visa that the technology industry uses to bring in skilled workers from abroad.