Center for American Progress

STATEMENT: Once Again, Trump Administration Uses the Pandemic To Advance Its Anti-Immigrant Agenda, CAP’s Tom Jawetz Says
Press Statement

STATEMENT: Once Again, Trump Administration Uses the Pandemic To Advance Its Anti-Immigrant Agenda, CAP’s Tom Jawetz Says

Washington, D.C. — Today, the Trump administration confirmed that the president will sign a proclamation establishing new restrictions on immigration to the United States, banning entry to people with various employment-based visas. Separately, the administration has advanced new regulations preventing certain asylum-seekers from being able to work lawfully during the pendency of their applications.

In response to the announcement, Tom Jawetz, vice president of Immigration Policy at CAP, issued the following statement:

Instead of addressing the ongoing crisis of coronavirus infections and deaths in the United States, President Trump is using the pandemic to once again advance his anti-immigrant agenda. Today’s orders—banning still more categories of legal immigration and barring some asylum-seekers from being able to work legally while they move through the process—will only harm the nation. Far from creating jobs, they will further harm our economy at a time when we need everyone contributing to national recovery efforts. Time and time again, the administration has taken a wrecking ball to the rule of law in immigration policy. Today’s orders move us further away from a fair, humane, and workable system.

For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Claudia Montecinos at [email protected].