President Trump Announces Suspension of Immigration Into The United States

NPR had more details:

Details of the president's plan, including who it would apply to, how long it would last, and when it would go into effect, were unclear as of Tuesday morning.

Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, said in a statement that the president "is committed to protecting the health and economic well-being of American citizens as we face unprecedented times." 

"As President Trump has said, 'Decades of record immigration have produced lower wages and higher unemployment for our citizens, especially for African-American and Latino workers,'" she said. "At a time when Americans are looking to get back to work, action is necessary." 

The move would be the broadest expansion of restrictions imposed in the U.S. since the outbreak of the pandemic earlier this year. 

Trump previously banned most travel from China, where the coronavirus emerged, and from more than two dozen European nations, where it spread seemingly unhindered. He also closed the borders with Canada and Mexico for most nonessential travel. The pandemic has also sharply reduced travel worldwide. 

Trump campaigned and won the presidency on a pledge to reduce illegal immigration, and the number of people crossing the southern border illegally has dropped since he took office. He has also slashed the U.S. refugee-resettlement program and cracked down on asylum seekers. Still, his administration has tried to move the U.S. toward a points-based immigration system, such as those used in Canada and Australia.

Jared Kushner, Trump's son in law and senior adviser, had been quietly trying to resurrect discussions to overhaul the U.S. immigration system. Earlier this year, Kushner met with business leaders, immigration hard-liners and other interest groups with the goal of rolling out a new immigration plan once the president's impeachment trial ended. The status of those talks is unclear; they were conducted against the backdrop of a booming economy, which needed workers to fill critical job openings.

Here's more from CNN:

Trump administration officials on Tuesday morning scrambled to finalize an executive order after President Donald Trump said in a late-night tweet he would temporarily suspend immigration to the United States as the nation battles the health and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

"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 tweeted.

Officials were still working to draft the executive order, according to an administration official, but hope to have it completed in the next few days for Trump to sign. While the language is still being finalized, the order is expected to temporarily halt the issuance of new green cards and work visas -- steps that had already effectively already been in place amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

A second administration official told CNN the executive order will be a "temporary 120 days or so" halt on "some" work visas to mitigate some of the unemployment concerns related to the pandemic.

Other aspects of the order remain unclear inside the administration, including what legal authorities the President will rely upon in the order and what other elements of immigration -- including family immigration and potential exemptions -- might be included. 

The order is expected to include some exemptions for farm workers and health care providers, according to the official, but could also exempt some other workers deemed "essential."

Officials were also weighing expanded travel restrictions beyond the current bans in place from China and Europe, the official said.

What effect the order will have on the operation of US border crossings and on those who already hold green cards remained unclear. 

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, the Trump administration has tried to move forward with some of its most restrictive policies that it had struggled to put into practice prior to the spread of the coronavirus, including blocking entry to asylum seekers.

Meanwhile, as Trump is looking to close the border, he is encouraging protests against stay-at-home orders and has issued a call for the states to phase-in reopenings beginning May 1.

In a statement on Tuesday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not provide additional details or timing for the executive order, nor did she mention any health benefits to the ban. Instead, she emphasized employment implications of the planned immigration pause.

"President Trump is committed to protecting the health and economic well-being of American citizens as we face unprecedented times," she wrote. "As President Trump has said, 'Decades of record immigration have produced lower wages and higher unemployment for our citizens, especially for African American and Latino workers.' At a time when Americans are looking to get back to work, action is necessary."