Trump says he’ll suspend immigration

President Donald Trump said Monday he will sign an executive order to block all immigration into the United States temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The president tweeted that the suspension is needed “to protect the jobs” of Americans. He didn’t say when he would sign the order or how long the new restriction would last.

Isn’t most immigration already on hold? Trump has blocked travel from China, most of Europe, Canada, Mexico, and Iran. The U.S. State Department has halted almost all visa processing for weeks during the pandemic. But the proposed order would be the most expansive in a series of steps the Trump administration has taken to squash crossborder travel.

Dig deeper: Read Jenny Lind Schmitt’s account of watching Europe shut down early in the pandemic.