The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) stopped in-person services a month ago, which created a problem for immigrants who are waiting for decisions regarding their cases. The new move is likely to create a legal battle.The executive order seemed like part of a broader move by Trump to slow entry to the US. Early on in the fight against coronavirus, the president closed the country's borders to China.He announced restrictions on travelers from 26 countries in Europe on March 13. Later that month, the president added the United Kingdom and Ireland to the list, in an effort to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 across the US. In addition, the US-Canada and US-Mexico borders have primarily been closed for travelers over the past month.Meanwhile, a new Pew research study found on Tuesday that Americans' views of China are increasingly negative amid the coronavirus outbreak. According to the poll, 91% of American adults see China's power and influence as a threat, including 62% who say it is a major threat, a 14 percentage point increase since 2018.Another key finding is that Republicans are consistently more negative than Democrats toward China. "Nearly three-quarters of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (72%) see China unfavorably, compared with roughly six-in-ten Democrats and Democratic leaners (62%)," the research found. "Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are also at least ten percentage points more likely to see issues like the US trade deficit with China, the loss of US jobs to China and China's growing technological capabilities as very serious problems.".@POTUS's order is based on two premises: that stopping immigration will stop the virus and that immigrants steal U.S. jobs. But the virus is already here and immigration has driven our economy forward. This order won't heal the country; it will hurt families and isolate America.
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) April 21, 2020
Trump to suspend immigration in light of coronavirus
"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."
