Families that have waited years to be reunited, businesses that rely on foreign workers, universities that recruit international students with the promise of high-paying American jobs — all of their plans faced new uncertainty on Tuesday as the Trump administration announced new temporary restrictions on permanent residency in the United States.
President Trump signaled that a 60-day ban on most green cards, which could be imposed as early as Wednesday, was intended to protect work opportunities for the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs in the coronavirus pandemic. But, if it is extended, its impact on businesses and families could be much broader.
The new policy would close the doors to thousands of people hoping to enter the United States or lay down permanent roots in the country through long-term work or family connections — at least temporarily.
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“It’s really worrying news,” said Elsa Ramos, whose 22-year-old son, Eder, is in Honduras, waiting for a green card that would allow him to join his parents and sister in the United States. They are among many families and employers who have spent thousands of dollars on years of legal work and are now on hold.
“Imagine the excitement that you have that your son is on his way into the country and then Trump destroys that. It’s really hard,” Ms. Ramos said.
Mr. Ramos applied for residency through his father, a legal permanent resident who lives in Philadelphia. His application had already been mired in months of unexpected delays because of the extra reviews applied to green card applications since Mr. Trump took office.
Living alone in the small house the family left behind, which is in a dangerous neighborhood, her son is vulnerable to exploitation by gangs because of his connections to the United States, Ms. Ramos said. But because his father is not a United States citizen, he would most likely be ineligible to enter the country under the planned new order.
“He’s desperate and sad. He told me, ‘I never thought I would be stuck here for so long,’” Ms. Ramos said.
Newly tightened policies have already imposed drastic limits on immigration in recent months, all but ending prospects of asylum for most people fleeing troubled situations in their home countries, and imposing higher fees, added scrutiny and longer wait times onto those pursuing visas.
Source: Trump’s 60-Day Ban of Green Cards Leaves Families Reeling
