Trump expected to sign executive order expanding immigration restrictions

President Trump is expected to sign an expansion of immigration restrictions in the coming days in response to the economic downturn from the coronavirus pandemic -- an order that will reportedly suspend a number of guest worker programs.

Trump signed an order in April suspending some forms of immigration, citing “the impact of foreign workers on the United States labor market, particularly in an environment of high domestic unemployment and depressed demand for labor” as a reason for the restriction, as well as pressures on health care and other factors.

That order suspended, for 60 days, green cards for immigrants who are currently outside the U.S. and do not already have a valid immigrant visa. While it was criticized by Democrats and immigration activists for being part of an “anti-immigrant agenda,” it also left many restrictionists unhappy because it did not target temporary guest work visas such as the H-1B and H-2B programs, which give visas for the tech and seasonal industries, respectively.

Hawks say that those visas are used to replace American workers with cheaper labor at a time of sky-high unemployment, while business groups counter that such labor is needed to fuel an economic recovery.

Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in April that “additional steps” were likely before the order expires, which will be in the coming days.

NPR first reported Saturday that the order could be signed as soon as Saturday evening, and will bar H-1B and H-2B visas, as well as L-1 visas for business executives and J-1 visas for teaching and work-exchange programs, until the end of the year. A source familiar with discussions about the order confirmed the details to Fox News.

Such an order would reflect the priorities of groups that call for lower levels of immigration, such as the Federation of American Immigration Reform (FAIR), who wrote to Trump in May asking for limits on guestworker programs.