[ad_1]
President Trump on Thursday ordered an extension of immigration restrictions limiting the issuance of certain work visas as the U.S. economy grapples with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump extended the duration of his executive order just hours before it expired. The order will now expire at the end of March, extending into President-elect Joe Biden’s first term.
The White House has argued that the restrictions are necessary to project job opportunities for American workers amid rising unemployment during the pandemic. In a proclamation detailing the decision, Trump noted that COVID-19 “continues to significantly disrupt the livelihoods of Americans.”
TRUMP IMMIGRATION ORDER ON READY TO EXPIRE WORK VISAS
“The effects of COVID-19 on the labor market in the United States and on the health of American communities are a matter of continuing national concern, and the considerations present in Proclamations 10014 and 10052 have not been eliminated,” said Trump wrote in the proclamation.
The Trump administration first announced limits on the issuance of green cards to immigrants in April. In June, Trump expanded the order to limit several guest worker programs, including new H-1B technical worker visas, H-2B seasonal worker visas, certain work exchange visitor visas and education and L executive transfer visas, with a few exceptions.
Trump’s proclamation noted that recent spikes in COVID-19 cases have surpassed previous highs in June, along with the implementation of pandemic-related restrictions that have put additional pressure on U.S. businesses. The effect of recently approved vaccines and other treatments “has yet to be fully realized” for the US job market, he added.
“While the overall US unemployment rate of 6.7% in November reflects a sharp drop from its April peak, there were still 9,834,000 seasonally adjusted non-farm jobs down in November than in November. February 2020 ”, adds the proclamation.
Members of Biden’s transition team criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies during the election campaign, arguing they were too draconian and discriminatory. Biden vowed to reverse several Trump-era policies once he entered the White House, but it was not immediately clear whether he planned to untie Trump’s executive order before it expires in March .
Groups supporting maintaining restrictions on legal immigration during the pandemic had called on Trump to extend the order.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“As the unemployment rate 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 lobbied for the extension. “If this proclamation were allowed to expire, then companies could easily return to exploiting cheap foreign labor. If President-elect Biden quickly cancels, the country should take note – he does not support them. American workers. “
Fox News’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link