HOUSTON – (April 21, 2020) – On Monday night, President Trump announced via Twitter that he plans to issue an executive order temporarily halting all immigration to the United States, citing his desire to prevent immigrants from competing with American workers for jobs during the economic recovery from the coronavirus.
Kelsey Norman, fellow for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and director of the institute's Women’s Rights, Human Rights and Refugees Program, is available to discuss this development and its implications.
"In reality, the Trump administration has long sought ways to minimize legal immigration to the United States — in addition to irregular migration — and the current pandemic gives him the cover he needs to enact this sweeping, restrictive policy," Norman said. "This is in line with other restrictive policies the administration has pursued since the start of the outbreak, including ramping up construction on the border wall with Mexico in Arizona and refusing to allow any asylum seekers, including children, to have their asylum claims accessed in the U.S."
Immigrants to the U.S. fill key positions in the formal economy, start businesses that employ American workers, serve in health care roles and are on the front lines of the coronavirus response, Norman said. They also work irregularly in key sectors like agriculture, getting Americans the food they need during this crisis.
"Limiting their access to immigrant visas and permanent residency will only hurt our economy as we attempt to rebuild it," she said. "We should not allow the current pandemic to serve as a veil for short-sighted, restrictive policies that have long been on the Trump administration's agenda."
To schedule an interview with Norman or for more information, contact Jeff Falk, director of national media relations at Rice, at jfalk@rice.edu or 713-348-6775.
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Related materials:
Norman bio: www.bakerinstitute.org/experts/kelsey-norman
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Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks as the No. 2 university-affiliated think tank in the world and the No. 1 energy think tank in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blog.bakerinstitute.org.