On Wednesday, Trump announced that he has signed an executive order that temporarily suspends the immigration into the United States. 

Experts suggest that this order will merely delay the immigration of green cardholders. However, President Trump has another agenda behind this. He believes that this move was necessitated because when the economy reopens, American citizens will be the first in line to get back to work.

He said, “This will ensure that unemployed Americans of all backgrounds will be first in line for jobs as our economy reopens.”

The order has made several exemptions. For example, all the nurses and doctors who’re seeking reentrance to the country, as well as the spouses and minor children of American citizens, can easily find their way back during this period.

Critics seem to believe that this policy was strategized for political gains. Back in 2016, Trump had promised that he would crack down both legal and illegal immigration. He has always treated immigrants as second class citizens of America. 

In fact, he believes that they are out for the jobs that “true Americans” deserve. In many of his press releases, he has given the impression that foreign workers compete with Americans for jobs and bring down wages by accepting lower pay. It seems like this pandemic has allowed him to move along with several of his pre-planned propositions. 

He has put travel restrictions on much of the globe. Thus, now Americans can’t travel to China and large swaths of Europe as these areas have been largely affected by the pandemic. Additionally, the borders with Mexico and Canada are also close and only essential traveling is permitted. 

With that said, the visa processing by the State Department is also suspended for an indefinite period. You can say that Trump has utilized the pandemic for his personal vendetta against migrants and ended asylum orders at the US borders purposely. 

Trump posted a Tweet on Monday: “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!”

“This announcement is more about grabbing a headline than changing immigration policy. To me, it smacks of an electoral strategy, not a policy change, and it smacks of desperation and panic.” – said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice (liberal immigration reform group).

Omar Jadwat, who is the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, has accused Trump of executing a “transparent attempt to distract from his own failures.” He believes that this plan “will cause real pain for families and employers across the country.” 

However, Tim Murtaugh – spokesperson of Trump’s campaign, supported his immigration policy.

He tweeted: “The president’s immigration policy just makes sense” after which he was bombarded with millions of tweets. As a response, he asked them, “Why would you in good conscience introduce brand-new competition?”