MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump to sign executive order temporarily suspending immigration to the US

Trump is pushing to get the US economy going again after the coronavirus shutdown left at least 22 millions of Americans jobless

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he will sign an executive order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States. “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”, Trump said in a tweet late on Monday.

The United States is the worst-hit country with 784,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 42.000 fatalities.

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!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2020

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he was working with state governors to make sure they had the resources needed to ramp up coronavirus testing.

He also urged Americans to continue social distancing efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, even as protestors across the country demanded an end to mandatory lockdowns and a quick reopening of the economy.

In recent days, Trump has clashed with state governors over ending lockdowns, with some saying that testing capacity fell far below the levels needed to avoid sparking new outbreaks of the virus amidst plans to revive the US economy.

Trump is pushing to get the US economy going again after the coronavirus shutdown left at least 22 million of Americans jobless. He has proposed a staggered, three-stage process even though the responsibility for such decisions lies with state, not federal, authorities.

Ventilator production for COVID-19 patients has also been amped up in the US. On Mar 27, Trump invoked the Korean War era Defense Production Act to compel General Motors Co to build ventilators.

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday plans to visit a General Electric Co facility in Madison, Wisconsin, where they assemble ventilators, with a US$ 2,9 billion programs to build 187,000 ventilators this year.