by Catherine Smith
According to CNN, “acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said that President Trump’s immigration executive order is a first step, teasing additional measures aimed at non-immigrant temporary visas.”
“That is something that the department has been looking at for the past several months, so we are well underway and look forward to presenting to the President those recommendations for additional steps,” he said during a Fox News interview.
Trump said during Wednesday’s coronavirus task force news briefing that he had just signed an executive order temporarily halting immigration for green card seekers, nearly 48 hours after announcing the move on Twitter.
The order directs the Department of Homeland and Security and the Department of Labor to look at additional recommendations, said Wolf.
After Trump’s announcement on Twitter, “the White House was flooded with calls from industry representatives imploring the administration to carve out exemptions for temporary workers, including migrants who work on American farms. The final order excludes temporary guest workers but officials have said a future order could include them,” according to CNN.
Stephen Miller, the President’s immigration adviser, told allies in a phone call it was important to “turn off the faucet of new immigrant labor” to protect Americans’ jobs.
Wolf said there are “critical” exceptions to the order that include people who participate in the medical field, health care industry and medical research.
“This is a targeted approach and it’s, really, the importance here is making sure that we are protecting American jobs,” he said. “I think it’s critical to maintain these travel restrictions for a little bit longer till we see how this plays out.”
The executive order is expected to be in place for at least 60 days, and may halt thousands of parents, adult children and siblings of citizens seeking to immigrate to the United States. However Trump has said that the extent of the restrictions is subject to change, depending on the needs of American businesses and farms. The diversity visa lottery that issues about 50,000 visas each year will also be suspended.
– – –
Catherine Smith is a regular contributor to American Greatness.
