AFT Blasts President Trump’s Plan to Halt Immigration

WASHINGTON—Statement of AFT President Randi Weingarten, Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson and Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus on President Trump’s latest plan to “temporarily suspend immigration”:

“We know the president is the master of diversion and deception, but it’s hard to follow his logic with this order: Is our country doing so well right now that governors can reopen gyms, beauty salons and bars for business? Or are we in such terrible shape that we must close our borders even more? If it’s the latter, why is the president—instead of working on testing, securing personal protective equipment for frontline workers, or planning to ensure a safe reopening of the country—decreeing by tweet his racist and xenophobic plan to halt immigration, which will do little to stop the spread of COVID-19 but plenty to rile up his base?

“Trump’s failure to prepare for this crisis has put millions of lives at risk. Instead of leading, Trump has shown that he will blame anyone, from immigrants to America’s governors, to distract from his failure to protect us. We reject this callous, racist proposal, which would do more to create chaos than to actually help in this time of great need.”