US immigration problem

Letter July 06, 2020
With elections in the United States nearing, the divisive policies of the Trump administration are on the rise

With elections in the United States nearing, the divisive policies of the Trump administration are on the rise. In the past few months, various steps have been taken to curtail the influx of immigrants in every possible way. Initially there was a proclamation to suspend the entry of Chinese students but later on, the Executive Order on Immigration clarified that no new H1-B and other employment visas would be issued till the end of 2020.

This seems to be an illogical step as most of the workers in the US are immigrants and many must currently be in the process of receiving their work visas. There has been a clear outcry from both employers who state that many of the employees they recruit are immigrants who have come to the US in the hopes of finding employment and sending remittances to their families back home. Furthermore, those who have received their H1-B’s are being discouraged from leaving the US in case re-entry might become difficult upon return.

With the world already undergoing strenuous times in the wake of Covid-19 and other catastrophes, people are feeling isolated and alone. Many who had made plans to visit their loved ones on their H1-B visa will no longer be able to, at least not till the end of the year. This whole issue, which was suddenly created, seems to be an election tactic by the Trump administration. It is playing with the lives of millions of immigrants in the US upon which a large chunk of the economy depends.

Wajiha Khan

Karachi

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5, 2020.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.