President Donald Trump on Monday tweeted that he would be signing an executive order to temporarily suspend immigration as the United States is putting up a tough fight against the coronavirus infection.

Trump’s tweet on Monday night stated that the US would be temporarily shutting down immigration services. “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!” Donald Trump tweeted.

The White House declined to provide further information on the decision to suspend immigration to the United States. The Department of Homeland Security, too, declined to comment on the executive order.

President Trump’s tweet did not reveal any other information such as how long the immigration suspension would last, what kind of effect will it have on the United States border-crossing, and if it would affect the green cardholders. Furthermore, Donald Trump has called out to reopen certain parts of the country from the lockdown. The relaxation would be carried through a phase-wise approach, starting May 1.

Trump’s tweet was followed by a tweet by Ali Noorani, the Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “This is not about the policy. It is about the message the president wants to send. He wants people to turn against ‘the other.’ And, regardless of the valuable contributions, immigrants are making to the response and recovery, he sees immigrants as the easiest to blame,” Ali Noorani tweeted.

Immigration to the United States has been greatly put on hold as the United States is largely affected by the rising number of positive coronavirus cases. The United States has also putrefugee resettlement on hold, has closed down many visa offices and halted citizenship ceremonies.However, Immigrant advocates see President Trump’s to halt immigration temporarily as a continuation of his 2016 Presidential campaign promise to cut down on immigration.

The US administration has also executed an order to remove migrants arrested at the border, including children, with immediate effect.