United States President Donald Trump has said he will invoke a statute in light of the coronavirus pandemic to block undocumented migrants from entering the US either from the northern or southern border, saying the crossings “threaten to create a perfect storm”.
Trump made the announcement at a news conference on Friday, in which he also announced that the US and Mexico would restrict non-essential travel across their shared border in an effort to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.
Immigrants rights groups immediately condemned the move, saying it fuels “anti-immigrant sentiment”.
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Any migrants entering the country through irregular routes along the land borders would immediately be turned backed under the measure, instead of being processed by US authorities.
Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said on Friday that Mexico will allow the US to return Mexican and Central American migrants caught trying to enter the US through unofficial routes.
Ebrard, however, said Mexico will not permit the US to send back migrants detained on the joint frontier who are not Mexican or Central American.
Around 120 migrants from the region are detained at the border every day, he said.
The new policy is set to go into effect Friday at midnight.
Agreement with Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced on Friday an agreement in which undocumented migrants crossing the border between the US and Canada will be returned to authorities from the country from which they crossed.
Trudeau called it an exceptional measure that will protect Canadians amid the pandemic.
There is a long-standing agreement between the US and Canada that requires those seeking asylum to apply in the first country they arrive in.