Two groups belonging to the billionaire Koch network are urging Donald Trump to increase legal immigration amid the coronavirus pandemic, Breitbart reported.
In a letter sent to White House advisers Jared Kushner and Larry Kudlow, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and LIBRE Initiative asked the administration to remove immigration barriers to bolster the struggling economy.
“But to ensure a speedy economic recovery, we respectfully request that this administration refrain from suspending, restricting, or imposing additional barriers on non-immigrant visa programs, and the legal immigration system writ large,” the letter read.
“Instead, we ask you to please consider the critical role that non-immigrant visa programs have played, and will continue to play, in helping to bolster and maintain a vibrant, expanding economy that will benefit all Americans during and after this unprecedented public health crisis.”
The Koch network argued against the isolation of America, which it claimed would prevent the entry of people looking to develop their talents and contribute to the nation.
“We do not need to suspend, further restrict, or impose additional barriers to our legal immigration system — we need to build a better one,” the organizations argued in the letter.
As The Inquisitr reported, the LIBRE Initiative previously took aim at Trump’s plan to reduce refugee inflow. The organization highlighted the benefit of welcoming refugees and noted the importance of helping those in need ?— some who end up becoming community pillars across the country.
According to The New York Times , the Trump administration has goals that run contrary to the Koch network. The publication claims that the administration is looking to use the COVID-19 pandemic to restrict legal immigration and increase requirements for asylum seekers. The new initiative may pave the way for more restrictionist immigration policies that could remain in effect long after the pandemic is over.
Last month, the Trump administration extended a coronavirus border rule that has thus far blocked almost 43,000 migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. In addition, Trump signed an executive order on April 22 that restricted entry of immigrants deemed to be a risk for the American labor market. But as noted by CBC , immigration into the country had “largely collapsed” before the order.
Regardless, the administration continues to move toward immigration restriction. As reported by The New York Times , Education Secretary Betsy DeVos enacted an emergency rule on Thursday to stop providing COVID-19 relief funds to foreign and undocumented students. Notably, the rule applies to the many thousands of students protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program, which grants them temporary protection from deportation.
