The move would be a far-reaching use of executive power from the president.
US President Donald Trump has said he will sign an executive order to temporarily suspend all immigration to the US because of the Covid-19 outbreak.
On Twitter, Trump called the virus the “invisible enemy” and said he would be using his executive powers to halt immigration but did not go into any specifics, such as the scope or time frame of the suspension.
“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!”
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2020
The US President said the move would save American jobs – 20 million Americans have made jobless claims in the last four weeks – and Trump has stated previously during the pandemic that he would like to see the US manufacture certain products on home soil.
Trump has already imposed broad travel bans on the likes of China, Europe, Canada and Mexico to try and deal with the pandemic.
Last month, the US suspended almost all visa processing due to the pandemic.
The White House has argued the worst of the outbreak has passed and is encouraging states to reopen for business, with Trump himself appearing to lend support to those protesting against governor’s stay at home orders.
The US currently has over 787,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and more than 42,000 deaths according to figures from John Hopkins University.
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