President Donald Trump announced via tweet Monday evening that he is planning to suspend all immigration into the United States during the coronavirus pandemic.
The proposed immigration moratorium is a longtime wishlist item for the grassroots America First movement, and has faced heavy opposition from both sides of the political establishment.
Monday’s announcement provoked an expected but vociferous reaction from two of the largest pro-mass migration special interest groups in the United States, among others.
The Southern Poverty Law Center released a statement Tuesday that bemoaned the immigration moratorium as an “outrageous proposal” dreamt up by “anti-immigrant extremists.”
The SPLC also seethed that the proposal was in line with the beliefs of White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller, a longtime bogeyman for far-left activists.
The Koch organizations Americans for Prosperity and The Libre Iniative also released a joint press release, describing the moratorium as “the wrong approach.”
“Ideas that further isolate America are not only contrary to who we are as a country but are misguided plays on our current anxieties,” the statement reads.
It's a good day for America when both SPLC and Koch #OpenBordersInc lobby are mad about #immigrationmoratorium progress. Now, let's get it DONE. #AmericaFirst @presssec @secpompeo @markmeadows @realDonaldTrump @DanScavino pic.twitter.com/MFBODaYFiE
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) April 21, 2020
National File reported Tuesday on a USA Today poll that found an overwhelming majority of American citizens support a halt on immigration during the coronavirus pandemic, in direct contrast to the ideas proposed by pro-immigration lobbyists:
Buried deep in the underbelly of a USA Today story from April 13 is a stunning statistic.
“About 8 in 10 support drastic steps on immigration: imposing mandatory quarantines for people who have traveled to any other country and temporarily stopping immigration from all other countries,” according to a poll by Ipsos and USA Today.
Monday night, President Donald J. Trump announced that he will order a complete halt on immigration while the United States recovers from the devastating economic impact of the COVID-19 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 said on Twitter.
The President has not yet formally signed an executive order halting immigration.
