By: The Executive Tea Staff

The Trump administration announced today that they will restrict a series of visas that allow immigrants to temporarily work in the US. According to the administration, some work fields impacted will binclude tech workers, landscapers and most J visa cultural exchange visitors.

In a statement put out by the administration today, these changes are to “put Americans first” amid record-high unemployment numbers. This decision will impact over 500,000 people who will be forced to leave the country between now and December 31.

According to NPR, The order will target H-1B visas, which are designed for certain skilled workers such as those employed in the tech industry, as well as L-1 visas, which are meant for executives who work for large corporations.

In the weeks leading up to the decision, Trump has repeatedly boasted about the economy and job market, despite unemployment numbers being high. Many business leaders have said in a series of letters to the administration that the immigration workforce is vital for the economy. "Why would he want to cut off critical workforce that will help the economy recover?" Greg Chen, director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, previously told CNN.

 Immigrant advocates and experts believe the administration is using the pandemic to bring about extreme immigration measures that they have long hoped to implement to restrict the number of immigrants in the country.

“Foreign nationals play a vital role in our recovery, yet this administration is choosing to advance its anti-immigrant agenda, rather than prioritizing recovery, by issuing such an unprecedented and overly broad ban,” the director of government at the American Lawyers Organization, Dalal-Dheini, stated.

"There will be negative consequences and likely unavoidable unintended consequences should the administration restrict or disrupt the ability of American employers to hire technology professionals, including nonimmigrant visa holders," the council continued.

Looks to us like the administration is seizing on the opportunity to make life harder for immigrants.