President Trump on Thursday ordered an extension of immigration restrictions restricting the issuance of some work visas, as the U.S. economy faces the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump extended the term of his executive order a few hours before it would expire. The order will now expire at the end of March, which extends to President-elect Joe Biden’s first term.
The White House argued that the restrictions needed to project jobs for U.S. workers amid a rise in unemployment during the pandemic. In a proclamation outlining the move, Trump noted that COVID-19 “continues to significantly disrupt Americans’ livelihoods.”
TRUMP IMMIGRATION ORDER ON EXPIRY WORK VISAS
“The impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. labor market and on the health of U.S. communities is a matter of continuing national concern, and the considerations in Proclamations 10014 and 10052 have not been dispelled,” Trump wrote in the proclamation. .
The Trump administration announced in April for the first time limits for issuing green cards to immigrants. In June, Trump expanded the order to restrict several guest worker programs, including new H-1B visas for technical workers, H-2B seasonal worker visas, certain J-job and education exchange visitor visas, and L-executive transfer visas, with a few exceptions.
Trump’s proclamation noted that recent increases in COVID – 19 cases exceeded previous highs in June, as well as the implementation of pandemic – related restrictions, which put further pressure on U.S. businesses. The effect of vaccines and other recently approved treatments has not yet been fully realized for the U.S. labor market, he added.
“While the overall unemployment rate of 6.7 percent in the United States in November reflects a clear decline from the peak in April, there were still 9,834,000 fewer seasonally adjusted non-farming jobs in November than in February 2020,” the proclamation added.
Members of the Biden transition team were critical of the Trump administration’s immigration policy on the campaign, arguing that it was too draconian and discriminatory. Biden has promised to reverse several policies of the Trump era once he enters the White House, but it was not immediately clear whether he intended to dissolve Trump’s executive order before the March expiration.
Groups in favor of continued restrictions on legal immigration during the pandemic have called on Trump to extend the order.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“While unemployment has fallen, too many Americans are still looking for work and the economic outlook remains bleak,” said RJ Hauman, director of government relations at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, who campaigned for the expansion. “If this proclamation were to lapse, companies could easily return to take advantage of cheap foreign labor. If President Biden recalls quickly, the country should take note – he does not stand with American workers.”
Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.