President Trump on Tuesday evening announced he will order a temporary suspension of immigration into the United States, but the move will "only apply to individuals seeking permanent residency. In other words, those receiving green cards."
The ban will be in place for at least 60 days. "By pausing, we'll help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs," Trump said. "It would be wrong to be replacing them with new immigrant labor flown in from abroad." Trump's order will not affect guest worker programs for medical researchers, health care professionals, and migrant farm workers.
On Monday night, Trump tweeted his intent to temporarily suspend immigration, saying it was due to "the attack from the Invisible Enemy," meaning the coronavirus. Already during the pandemic, the Trump administration has moved to restrict asylum seekers from entering the United States and nearly all visa processing by the State Department has been suspended.