Washington, April 22: Donald Trump shared more clarity on his plan to temporarily suspend immigration into the US on Tuesday at White House. He said that immigration will be halted for 60 days and will apply only to those seeking permanent residence. Speaking a day after he announced the move in an ambiguous tweet, US President said the measure would protect American jobs during the coronavirus crisis. According to a BBC report, Trump clarified that this decision would not impact temporary visas to workers.

He said that by pausing immigration, it will help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America re-opens." On Monday night, he tweeted saying, "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" Donald Trump Says Will 'Temporarily Suspend' Immigration Due to Coronavirus.

Here's what Donald Trump said: Watch Video:

Trump on Tuesday said, “It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labour flown in from abroad." The decision has been blasted by local immigration advocates. Democrats have accused the administration of using the pandemic to crack down on immigration, which has always been a strong campaigning theme for Trump.

According to Worldometers, US has recorded a total of 819,164 cases, and the death toll figures have surged to 45,340 in the country.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 22, 2020 08:18 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).