Travels restrictions from Mexico and Canada extended by US in coronavirus pandemic
The Trump administration extended a ban on “nonessential” travel from Mexico and Canada, citing dangers of the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Homeland issued the temporary travel ban set to expire at midnight Tuesday. The new order will last until June 22. It follows an announcement by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier in the day that it agreed with the U.S. to prohibit nonessential travel between the two countries another 30 days.
Mexico Foreign Affairs tweeted Tuesday that it was leaving restrictions in place, saying “both countries will continue coordinating health measures in the border region,” The Associated Press reported.
“We have been in contact with our Canadian and Mexican counterparts and they also agree that extending these restrictions is prudent at this time,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in a statement. “We appreciate our partnership with Mexico and Canada in ensuring that North America is working together to combat the ongoing global pandemic.”
More than 90,000 people have died of the coronavirus in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University. Canada has over 6,000 deaths while Mexico had approximately 5,300. according to John Hopkins.
According to travel order, essential travel includes U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents returning to the country, people traveling for medical purposes, students going to educational institutions, people traveling to work in the U.S., emergency response and public health workers and those engaged in lawful movement across the border such as truck drivers.
“As I have repeatedly stated — border security is homeland security,” Wolf said. “Our efforts over the last several months to limit non-essential travel have been successful and now is not the time to change course. The President has made it clear that we must continue to keep legitimate, commercial trade flowing while limiting those seeking to enter our country for non-essential purposes. Nonessential travel will not be permitted until this administration is convinced that doing so is safe and secure.”
The American Civil Liberties Union, which opposes the border restrictions, criticized the administration’s decision as an effort to promote Trump’s immigration agenda. The organization said the restrictions allow border agents to “expel” migrants apprehended at ports of entry without valid documents or “without the fear screening required under U.S. law.”
“The administration refuses to heed the advice of public health experts to protect immigrants, government employees, and the general public from sickness and death, including by releasing people from ICE and CBP detention and suspending civil immigration enforcement,” said Andrea Flores, deputy director of immigration policy for the American Civil Liberties Union. “Instead, the president is hellbent on exploiting a public health crisis to achieve his long-held goal of ending asylum at the border.”
On Monday, a group of about 40 epidemiologists, public health experts and doctors sent a letter to the Trump administration, urging it not to extend the travel restrictions and questioning its rational.
This story was originally published May 19, 2020 at 8:36 PM with the headline "Travels restrictions from Mexico and Canada extended by US in coronavirus pandemic."