President Trump’s announcement last night of his plan to sign an executive order temporarily halting immigration was first promoted by his former attorney general, Jeff Sessions, an immigration hawk now running to regain his old Alabama Senate seat.
“It is insanity for this nation to invite foreigners to come in and take any of the few jobs available during this crisis,” Sessions said last week.
Last week, I announced on @TuckerCarlson’s show my plan to suspend immigration until Americans are back to work. It’s great news that @RealDonaldTrump is putting this into action! https://t.co/j6UEHzFuPM https://t.co/6HBUiDj704
— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) April 21, 2020
Trump apparently agrees, and today, he is set to sign his executive order with the aim of protecting job openings for U.S. citizens. He tweeted Monday night, “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!”
Two hours after, Sessions tweeted, “Last week, I announced on @TuckerCarlson’s show my plan to suspend immigration until Americans are back to work. It’s great news that @RealDonaldTrump is putting this into action!”
More than 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment since mid-March. That’s 12% of American labor force going without a paycheck!
That’s why I’m calling on the federal gov to IMMEDIATELY halt immigration to the US until Americans are back to work. https://t.co/IKAQNNyLhx pic.twitter.com/pg5kQgtK1x
— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) April 16, 2020
Trump did not mention Sessions’s call, but it may be a sign of a thaw between the two since Trump dumped his attorney general after raging for months that the former Alabama senator and original Trump supporter in the Senate didn’t do enough to derail the Russia investigation that played a role in the president’s impeachment last year.
Trump has endorsed Sessions’s opponent, former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville. The two are set for a July GOP election runoff. Republicans believe they will win the seat held by Democrat Sen. Doug Jones, no matter who the Republican nominee is.
Despite his firing and the Tuberville endorsement, Sessions has maintained his support for Trump and his policies, especially immigration, one that Sessions had a big impact on. His former Senate aide, Stephen Miller, is the architect of the president’s immigration policies inside the White House.
Immigration reform advocates have been pushing for weeks to shut the border to immigrants coming across for jobs. They have said that the surge in coronavirus-related unemployment requires the United States to make job openings available to U.S. citizens first.
Jessica M. Vaughan, the policy director for the Center for Immigration Studies, said that Sessions has been very steady on immigration and Trump. “Jeff Sessions has been the standard-bearer for the Trump voters who are disappointed in how many ‘Hire American’ initiatives have been stymied in his administration. He’s been reminding people of why they voted for Trump,” she told Secrets.
