Washington, D.C. – Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Immigration and Citizenship Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) released the following on President Trump’s executive order limiting immigration to the United States:

“As expected, the President is once again abusing the law in an attempt to distract the American public from his abject failure to combat COVID-19.  Rather than leading us into a stable period of economic recovery—one that brings real, sustainable jobs to the American public—he tries to shift blame and return to his favorite political ploy of targeting and scapegoating immigrants.

“The current U.S. unemployment rate is a real issue that cannot be ignored.  But the reality is that the vast majority of immigrant workers complement the U.S. workforce and stimulate economic growth and job creation.  We must address the current economic crisis through careful deliberation and smart policy changes based on sound principles and reason, not through a politically motivated executive order grounded in nothing but speculation.

“Like much of our immigration system, our temporary visa programs are far from perfect and in need of reform.  But this order is a clear abuse of executive power.  As we have repeatedly reminded this President, Congress writes the laws, and the President enforces the laws as written, even if they don’t comport with his anti-immigrant agenda.”