President Joe Biden late Wednesday issued a proclamation to revoke an immigration restriction issued by former President Donald Trump in 2020 amid the CCP virus pandemic.
In April 2020, Trump issued Proclamation 10014 to suspend entry into the United States for 60 days to foreigners who did not have a valid immigrant visa or official travel document. The order also suspended new green cards that allowed for permanent residency to most foreigners looking to settle in the country.
The proclamation had several exceptions, including for foreigners entering the country on an immigrant visa as a healthcare professional to work on alleviating the outbreak caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the disease COVID-19.
At the time, Trump said his order was needed to protect jobs for Americans amid increasing unemployment due to the government mandated shutdowns of businesses amid the CCP virus pandemic.
Biden in his Wednesday proclamation said that Trump’s entry suspension “does not advance the interests of the United States.”
“To the contrary, it harms the United States, including by preventing certain family members of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents from joining their families here,” Biden wrote in his proclamation.
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One at Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wis., on June 25, 2020. Evan Vucci/File/AP Photo
In June, Trump issued Proclamation 10052 to extend Proclamation 10014 and expand the restrictions to include nonimmigrant visas: H-1B visas for skilled workers, H-2B visas for nonagricultural seasonal workers, J-1 visas for cultural exchanges, and L-1 visas for workers being transferred within multinational corporations.
On Dec. 31, 2020, when both proclamations were to expire, Trump issued Proclamation 10131 to extend the restrictions until March 31, 2021.
Biden’s proclamation means Proclamation 10041 is lifted ahead of that date.
Biden left in place the ban on most foreign temporary workers as outlined in proclamation 10052. In October 2020, a federal judge in California blocked Trump’s ban on those foreign guest workers as it affected hundreds of thousands of U.S. businesses that fought the policy in court.
Biden wrote in his proclamation that Trump’s Proclamation 10041 “also harms industries in the United States that utilize talent from around the world. And it harms individuals who were selected to receive the opportunity to apply for, and those who have likewise received, immigrant visas through the Fiscal Year 2020 Diversity Visa Lottery.”
“Proclamation 10014 has prevented these individuals from entering the United States, resulting, in some cases, in the delay and possible forfeiture of their opportunity to receive Fiscal Year 2020 diversity visas and to realize their dreams in the United States,” Biden added.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Mimi Nguyen Ly
Reporter
Mimi Nguyen Ly is a former reporter for The Epoch Times.
