With his decision to suspend issuance of green cards for at least 60 days, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken his administration’s war on immigration to the next level. The Republican President, while announcing the decision on Tuesday, said it’s needed to protect American jobs at a time when the unemployment crisis in the U.S. is worsening amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
What does the suspension mean?
On Monday, Mr. Trump had tweeted that he would “suspend immigration” to protect American jobs. On Tuesday, he said in a press briefing that the executive order, which is still being written, would suspend issuing new green cards for 60 days, but would spare guest worker programmes. The New York Times reported that Mr. Trump had considered stopping new immigrant visas, but backed off in the face of protests from businesses. Now, the order would not impact immigrants already living in the U.S. or those who come on temporary visas for work or travel, including H1B visa holders and temporary farm workers.
American citizens will still be able to bring their spouses and children to the U.S., but the relatives of the current green card holders or those who want t