Washington, DC-President Trump is expected to sign an order later today temporarily preventing foreign nationals with H1B, L-1, H2B, or J-1 status from entering the United States. The new restrictions would last at least until the end of the year and will not apply to visa-holders already in the U.S., or those outside the country who have already been issued valid visas, and some categories of foreign nationals (e.g., healthcare workers).
Today’s executive order appears to build on Trump’s existing immigration bans, including 2017’s Muslim Ban and the more recently enacted order placing a 60-day ban on green cards for most immigrants due to the coronavirus crisis. While the White House’s justification for these immigration restrictions centers around protecting American workers, experts are skeptical that the restrictions will help the millions of Americans searching for work. In fact, studies reveal that immigration actually leads to wage and job growth.
After Trump announced the executive order, Steve Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, issued the following statement.
"One more desperate reach into the grab-bag of pointless immigration bans by our flailing President. When you’re a xenophobe contending with a cratered economy, a pandemic where you let more than 120,000 people die, and uprisings sent you hiding in a bunker, the only thing you can do is a pivot to your usual playbook of blaming immigrants for your immense failures. Suspending immigration hurts American businesses, who are already struggling during COVID-19, forcing them to lose many skilled and essential workers when they are needed the most.
More than ever, we need a President who offers viable solutions to keep us safe and healthy, while growing our economy and creating jobs. We also need our national leaders—including House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Schumer—to pass the HEROES Act so that every locality and all the people within them have the resources they need to ensure the health and safety of their families now and into the future."