WASHINGTON D.C. – New legal action has been filed against President Donald Trump’s executive order, which bars thousands of immigrants from gaining family-sponsored visas. Meanwhile, California is home to 11 million immigrants, the largest immigration population of any state.

The Trump administration is reportedly eyeing “additional steps” to restrict visas within the next month. It’s unclear at this time what that means, but immigration centers in California said they are worried this is just the start of more restrictions against immigrants during the pandemic.

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Fifteen years ago, Cynthia Buiza, immigrated to the United States from the Philippines. Despite some challenges, Buiza finished school and made it her mission to protect other immigrants. 

“We need to recognize that immigrants play a very significant role in our society and at the moment we know that they are a part of the essential workforce that is helping to continue to move our life around the country,” Buiza said.

Now Buiza is the Executive Director at the California Immigrant Policy Center; and said although she has seen progress from within California, she is appalled by the federal government.

“In order to protect American workers,” President Trump had said in a briefing last week, “I will be issuing a temporary suspension of immigration into the United States.”

 

 

 

President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to restrict some immigrants from entering the U.S. for at least 60 days. The president said he hopes to put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America reopens during the coronavirus pandemic. The president’s decree would hold people overseas who are seeking to become permanent U.S. residents, but Buiza said she feels it’s just an attack on immigrants.

“If I was a Filipino who was trying to be reunited with my family here, that just keeps me very hopeless,” Buiza said. “It doesn’t inspire hope and inspiration and courage at a time when we need it most.”

The president also pointed to the record-high unemployment rate, which keeps growing, and said this ban will help Americans get back to work. 

“It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus,” President Trump said. “To be replaced by new immigrant labor flown in from abroad. We must take care of the American worker."

President Trump added his restriction could be extended beyond 60 days, but Buiza, and other critics, fear the president will use this opportunity to ban immigrants through the election year, in order to fulfill a campaign promise.

“I knew that this was one of those situations that would be exploited by this administration,” Buiza said.

Experts said this could block tens of thousands of immigration visas. Buiza said the silver lining, is current visa holders who live in the U.S. will not be affected. 

Immigrants account for about a third of the entire California labor force, and under the executive order, they won’t be affected. Even so, Buiza said if that’s the case, the president is only instilling fear and anxiety with this decree, without helping the economy at all.