Announcement on plans to suspend all US immigration is part of White House’s ‘bigotry and xenophobia’

Responding to plans announced by US president Donald Trump to sign an executive order “to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States”, Joanne Lin, Amnesty International USA’s National Advocacy Director, said:

“The President is manipulating a pandemic to further the bigotry and xenophobia that have been hallmarks of his presidency from day one.

“We are one country and there is no way we could address the spread of COVID-19 without the unending efforts of immigrants providing healthcare and home aid, staffing grocery stores, and producing food, whose work has been deemed essential while they are simultaneously struggle to access to care, support and services.

“Measures that health experts agree will stop the spread - like access to widespread testing and self-isolation - have been derided and undermined by Trump. If President Trump wants to limit the spread and the deaths occurring under his leadership, now is the time to look to health experts, and not point fingers at immigrants.”