Special Report

Shutdown: The Coronavirus

Advocacy groups aim to stop Trump’s immigration ban

A sign from an immigrant rally. Photo @maginnis via Twenty20

In the midst of a global pandemic, President Donald Trump suspended immigration into the US for 60 days, last week. This weekend, a coalition of advocacy groups has filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to temporarily restrain the order.

After first announcing the plan on Twitter, President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday last week, suspending the granting of green cards to certain applicants for the next 60 days. Trump says that this order will protect American workers.

“This will ensure that unemployed Americans of all backgrounds will be first in line for jobs as our economy reopens,” said President Trump in a press conference last week.

The Justice Action Center (JAC), the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and Innovation Law Lab have filed for an injunction to halt the order until a decision is reached in a prior lawsuit filed in 2019. The earlier case challenges the White House’s ability to ban immigrants who cannot prove their ability to obtain health insurance within one month of entering the country. The court issued a temporary injunction restraining this order, but the final decision is still pending. 

In a public statement, the plaintiffs have described Trump’s most recent executive order as “another unlawful attempt to upend the family-based immigration system that is fundamental to our society and shared prosperity.”

Democrats have also criticised the executive order, saying that Trump is capitalizing on the COVID-19 pandemic to push his anti-immigration policies. 

“Make no mistake: this executive order is not about protecting American workers,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Immigration and Citizenship Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif. in a joint statement.

“The only thing it really accomplishes is keeping families apart. It is just an excuse to advance President Trump’s and [White House adviser] Stephen Miller’s anti-immigrant agenda.”

Democrats have also said that the order is not what is needed to solve the current economic crisis.

“I think it’s another diversion,” said New York Senator Chuck Schumer. “I think the President ought to stop these diversions. What we really need is a focus on testing, a focus on contact tracing, so that we can open up again. That should be the focus.”

But hardline anti-immigration advocates are also not satisfied, saying that the order excludes too many visa categories and will have little impact. In particular, they are disappointed that temporary workers, including those on H1-B visas for specialized skills, are not included in the order.

“The president’s decision to put a temporary halt on immigration was a prudent act in light of the unprecedented job losses, said Dan Stein, president of anti-immigration organization Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). “ But it will be rendered meaningless if large flows of guest workers continue unabated.”

“The measure on its own will have little effect,” wrote Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of conservative think-tank, Center for Immigration Studies’ (CIS’), in an op-ed that called the order “barely a start.” 

“Failing to pause this program before the next cohort of foreign workers arrives October 1 would make a mockery of the president’s claim to want to preserve American jobs for American workers,” said Krikorian.

The executive order applies only to those green card applications filed from abroad. It does not apply to applicants who are spouses or minor children of U.S. citizens, or to any applicants filing from within the United States. It also will not apply to immigrant investor visas or to temporary visas (including student visas and H-1B visas).

Despite these exceptions, the Migration Policy Institute estimates that the order will block 26,000 green cards each month and if extended, as Trump has warned it may be, the new policy could end up impacting up to 660,000 people.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said that this executive order is a first step, suggesting that further immigration restrictions may well be implemented.

 

Author


Other Stories in Special Report: Shutdown: The Coronavirus

Life returns to the East Village

Quincy Walter May 5, 2021

Reopening for Ramadan

Hassan Abbas May 4, 2021

And the band played on

Xavier Bartaburu May 2, 2021

Queens residents mourn at Covid vigil

Annie Burky May 2, 2021

Floating for Free: COVID and the Staten Island Ferry

Trish Rooney May 2, 2021

COVID-19 has left many Black and Hispanic landlords in serious debt

Norah Hogan April 24, 2021

Village East movie theater reopens to the public

Inga Parkel April 13, 2021

Chinese adoptions halted by COVID

Inga Parkel March 24, 2021

Remote is the new workplace normal

Courtney Guarino March 24, 2021

One year of COVID-19 in New York City

Michelle Diaz March 16, 2021

COVID long haulers deal with lingering symptoms and doubt

Kaity Assaf March 5, 2021

Pandemic Weddings

Chuyan Jiang March 2, 2021

Pandemic fatigue 101

Chuyan Jiang February 28, 2021

Yankee Stadium becomes COVID-19 vaccine site for Bronx residents only

Michelle Diaz February 24, 2021

The queer community rallies behind their sacred spaces closed because of COVID-19

Inga Parkel February 23, 2021

Street vendors struggle as New Yorkers and tourists stay home

Norah Hogan February 13, 2021

Keeping the faith in COVID-19

Courtney Guarino February 3, 2021

Little Italy’s restaurants need indoor dining to survive pandemic

Michelle Diaz February 2, 2021

Stray pets find homes and love during pandemic

Inga Parkel February 1, 2021

No Actors, But the Show Goes On

James Pothen December 5, 2020

New York City, a place of refuge 

Edith Rousselot December 4, 2020

Commuting in a pandemic world

Michelle Diaz December 3, 2020

Battling food insecurities during a pandemic

Courtney Guarino December 3, 2020

Adaptation

Justin McGown December 3, 2020

Honk!: Cars earn a special spot in 2020

Luana Harumi December 3, 2020

Working out looks very different during a pandemic

Chuyan Jiang December 2, 2020

One kitchen’s transformation in the age of isolation

Isabel Beer December 2, 2020

Nursing homes are filled with sadness and loss during pandemic shut down

Inga Parkel December 1, 2020

The show goes on

Norah Hogan December 1, 2020

Loyal members help keep independent cinemas afloat

Courtney Guarino December 1, 2020

Musicians deal with the reality of no live shows as covid takes center stage

Paola Michelle Ortiz December 1, 2020

 Black Friday’s Aftermath

Sughnen Yongo November 30, 2020

The Spirit of Little Haiti

Savannah Daniels October 14, 2020

Small business owners hope for future relief

Courtney Guarino October 2, 2020

Brooklyn Book Festival held virtually

Chuyan Jiang September 28, 2020

NYC Restaurant owners worry about maintaining business during winter 

Isabel Beer September 27, 2020

The pandemic is causing mental health struggles for many Latinos

Paola Michelle Ortiz September 24, 2020

Politically divided family can agree on one thing, rallies are bad during a pandemic

Michelle Diaz September 23, 2020

New Yorkers are vulnerable to mental issues due to pandemic

Sughnen Yongo September 23, 2020

Healthcare professionals struggle with Trump’s decisions during pandemic

Tori Luecking September 23, 2020

Some Americans Say “Not So Fast” on Operation Warp Speed

James Pothen September 23, 2020

Trump voters unfazed by morality of Trump’s Covid response

Norah Hogan September 22, 2020

Trump rallies continue, despite the rising Covid-19 death toll

Isabel Beer September 22, 2020

Latinos weigh in on President Trump’s management of the pandemic

Paola Michelle Ortiz September 21, 2020

Fast track vaccine causes fear

Kaity Assaf September 21, 2020

It’s business as usual at McSorley’s Old Ale House

Tori Luecking September 20, 2020

Trump defiance to hold indoor rallies amidst COVID-19 sparks polarized responses 

Courtney Guarino September 20, 2020

NYC Cafes and restaurants try and survive the pandemic

Isabel Beer September 19, 2020

A typical afternoon at Shade Bar NYC

Kaity Assaf September 19, 2020

West Village staple, Caffe Reggio, remains open for outdoor dining in the wake of coronavirus restrictions 

Norah Hogan September 19, 2020