By Alianza Americas Executive Director, Oscar Chacón

“The president’s tweet was a transparent attempt to distract from his own failures in responding to this health crisis, and from the corporate giveaways that are leaving out so many small businesses.

It’s ludicrous that during a time when many immigrants have been working in essential jobs to provide food and health care to all, the president would use immigration restrictions as his solution. We need to be focusing on coming together to solve the public health and economic crises at hand now– not shifting blame to score political points.

At a time when we all need to come together, this tweet is clearly designed to inflame racist and xenophobic fears that will drive us apart. There is still so much more to do to get the country working again and we need to work together to do it.”

Following his announcement in a tweet late Monday night, President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order temporarily suspending immigration to the U.S.

The executive order – which can be signed as early as this week – will be the latest move aimed at minimizing movement across borders, following travel restrictions from Europe and China.

Alianza Americas is a network of 50 immigrant-led organizations representing more than 100,000 families across the United States. It is the only United States-based organization rooted in Latino and Caribbean immigrant communities that works transnationally to create an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable way of life. Find out more at www.alianzaamericas.org/.