Last Updated on April 21, 2020
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.
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2020
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) last week called for a halt on immigration so that Americans do not have to compete with foreigners for work during a time of economic hardship. So did former Attorney General and current Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from Alabama Jeff Sessions, who joined Tucker Carlson on Fox News to call for an immigration halt.
The fallout from COVID-19 shutdowns has included 25 million unemployed Americans.
Based on the USA Today poll and popular sentiment from high profile politicians, one might think that President Trump’s actions would garner widespread support among the American public. His forthcoming executive order might indeed enjoy widespread support from the public at large, but one would not be able to tell based on the reaction the news has received on social media.
Foreign-born Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) predictably called President Trump’s order racist.
“Trump will ban immigration but allow some Southern states to loosen restrictions. This has nothing to do with our safety and everything to do with his blatant xenophobia. Pathetic,” she said.
Trump will ban immigration but allow some Southern states to loosen restrictions.
This has nothing to do with our safety and everything to do with his blatant xenophobia.
Pathetic.
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) April 21, 2020
Failed presidential candidate an U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) echoed a similar sentiment.
“You have nobody to blame but yourself for this completely bungled response to a deadly crisis, Mr. President. Not immigrants. Not governors or mayors. Just you. Stop scapegoating immigrants with more racism and xenophobia and do your job,” she said.
You have nobody to blame but yourself for this completely bungled response to a deadly crisis, Mr. President. Not immigrants. Not governors or mayors. Just you. Stop scapegoating immigrants with more racism and xenophobia and do your job. https://t.co/tr5CnG2RYg
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) April 21, 2020
The movement for a total immigration moratorium has been building in the United States over the past several months.
There is evidence that support for such a policy, called “radical” by the far-left but commonplace in other countries around the world, is gaining steam among the American public.
This reporter ran a congressional campaign on a hardline immigration stance that included halting all immigration for 10 years:
Here’s my full hit on Tucker Carlson, wherein we discuss my proposed immigration moratorium.
h/t to @ColumbiaBugle for clipping this. #AmericaFirstpic.twitter.com/m0Lx602DT6
— Pete D’Abrosca (@pdabrosca) December 8, 2019
Meanwhile, young Republicans on college campuses challenged traditional orthodoxy last fall by showing up to Turning Point USA events and asking questions of the organization’s founder Charlie Kirk: namely, why should Americans accept nearly-unfettered mass immigration?
TPUSA is a GOP establishment-oriented group whose hallmark is promoting capitalism and bashing socialism. Its autumn trampling by “dissident right” figures seems to have pushed the group further right on immigration, at least for the moment.
Kirk applauded the immigration halt on Twitter Tuesday morning.
