President Trump ordered an extension on Thursday of immigration restrictions that limit the issuance of some work visas while the United States economy struggles with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump extended the term of his executive order just hours before its expiration date. The order will now expire at the end of March, extending through President-elect Joe Biden’s first term.
The White House argued that restrictions are necessary to project job opportunities for American workers amid rising unemployment during the pandemic. In a proclamation detailing the change, Trump noted that COVID-19 “continues to significantly disturb Americans’ livelihoods”.
TRUMP IMMIGRATION ORDER ON WORK VISAS DEFINED TO EXPIRY
“The effects of COVID-19 on the United States labor market and the health of American communities is a matter of continuing national concern, and the considerations in Proclamations 10014 and 10052 have not been eliminated,” Trump wrote in the proclamation.
The Trump administration first announced limits on green card issuance to immigrants in April. In June, Trump expanded the order to limit several guest worker programs, including new H-1B tech worker visas, H-2B seasonal worker visas, certain educational and work exchange J visas, and executive transfer L visas, with a few exceptions.
Trump’s proclamation noted that the recent spikes in COVID-19 cases surpassed previous levels in June, as well as the implementation of pandemic-related restrictions that put even more pressure on American companies. The effect of vaccines and other recently approved treatments “has not yet been fully realized” in the US labor market, he added.
“Although the overall November unemployment rate in the United States of 6.7 percent reflects a sharp decline since the April high, there were still 9,834,000 seasonally adjusted non-agricultural jobs in November than in February 2020,” added the proclamation.
Members of the Biden transition team criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies during the campaign, arguing that they were too draconian and discriminatory. Biden promised to reverse several Trump-era policies as soon as he entered the White House, but it was not immediately clear whether he planned to cancel Trump’s executive order before it expired in March.
Groups in favor of continuing restrictions on legal immigration during the pandemic have asked Trump to extend the order.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“Although the unemployment rate has dropped, many Americans are still looking for work and the economic outlook remains bleak,” said RJ Hauman, director of government relations for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which has lobbied for the extension. “If that proclamation lapsed, companies could easily exploit cheap foreign labor again. If President-elect Biden rescinds quickly, the country should take note – he does not agree with American workers.”
Adam Shaw of Fox News contributed to this report.