President Trump to temporarily ban US immigration for at least 60 days to protect jobs amid Covid-19 crisis

US President Donald Trump has announced a temporary ban on US immigration and green cards for at least 60 days. The ban could be extended “much longer,” he said, “depending on how the economy is doing.”

For now, the ban only applies to those seeking permanent residence in the US, and will not apply to workers entering on a temporary basis. Trump said the measure would protect Americans who had lost jobs as a result of the coronavirus.

“As we all know, millions of Americans sacrificed their jobs in order to battle the virus and save the lives of our fellow citizens,” he said during a news conference on Monday. “The government has a solemn duty to ensure Americans regain their jobs.

“It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labour flown in from abroad,” added Trump. “We want to protect our US workers and I think as we move forward, we will become more and more protective of them.”

The US has registered the most coronavirus infections in the world, exceeding 820,000 cases, according to the Johns Hopkins University, as well as the most deaths to date from the disease.