Trump's immigration order would have stopped Melania's parents from coming to US

‘This is something the president has been looking at himself since the economic effects of the Covid virus began’

James Crump
Wednesday 29 April 2020 16:53 BST
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President Donald Trump‘s new executive order on immigration, would have stopped his wife’s parents from coming to the US.

Last week, the president issued a temporary executive order amid the coronavirus pandemic, that banned people wanting to come to the US from receiving Green Cards for 60 days, according to AZ Central.

Mr Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, came to the US as an immigrant, and helped her parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, to become US citizens.

Ms Trump’s parents became US citizens through the family-based immigration process, often referred to as chain migration, where US citizens sponsor family members.

During a phone call with Trump supporters last week, Stephen Miller, the president’s immigration adviser, said that the new order is intended to stop further people from coming to the country, and mentioned that it would effect chain migration.

“When you suspend the entry of a new immigrant from abroad, you’re also reducing immigration further, because of the chains of follow-on migration that are disrupted,” he reportedly said in audio obtained by the Washington Post.

Mr Miller added that new immigration orders could be signed in the future, and told the supporters that the first stage has been achieved.

“The first and most important thing is to turn off the faucet of new immigrant labour — mission accomplished — with signing that executive order.”​

The government also confirmed last week that the executive order could be renewed in the future, AZ Central reported.​

The Acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli added that Mr Trump had been pursuing the policy for some time.

“This is something the president has been looking at himself since the economic effects of the Covid virus began,” he reportedly said.

“We’ve had numerous conversations with him. And so what you saw yesterday was a continuation of his own thinking.”

The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment.

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