Trump to suspend all immigration into US over coronavirus

MANDEL NGAN / AFP

US President Donald Trump has announced his plans to temporarily suspend all immigration into the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He took to Twitter to announce his decision, claiming it is aimed at protecting American jobs.

"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 into the United States," he wrote on Twitter.

The leader, however, did not detail which immigration programme will be impacted by the order.

Even, the White House did not to elaborate on Trump's Twitter announcement.

Meanwhile, several Democrats described it as his ploy to divert attention from his administration's slow response to the coronavirus.

So far, the US has more than 792,000 positive cases and over 42,000 fatalities. 

More from International News

  • UN: 70% of Gaza fatalities women and children

    The UN Human Rights Office said on Friday nearly 70 per cent of the fatalities it has verified in the Gaza war were women and children, and condemned what it called a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.

  • Britain names Jonathan Powell as national security adviser

    Britain on Friday named Jonathan Powell, who was chief of staff to former prime minister Tony Blair, as its national security adviser.

  • Indonesian volcano spews ash 10 km high

    Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted several times on Friday, belching volcanic ash that rose up to 10 km (32,800 ft) into the sky, officials said, following a big eruption on Sunday night that killed nine people.

  • Israeli PM directs two rescue planes to Amsterdam

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed two rescue planes to Amsterdam after being informed of "a very violent incident" targeting Israeli citizens, his office said on Friday.

Blogs