The Trump administration is reportedly considering blocking American citizens and legal permanent residents exposed to the novel coronavirus, from re-entering the United States.
One of President Donald Trump’s most reported travel restrictions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the March Europe travel ban, did not “apply to permanent residents (generally) immediate family members of US citizens, and other individuals who are identified in the proclamation.”
The regulation reported on last week, if promulgated, could now impact Americans and legal permanent residents who are spending time abroad.
The draft order, obtained by the New York Times, could empower the government from denying entry to Americans and green card holders if the government “reasonably believes that the individual either may have been exposed to or is infected with the communicable disease.”
The report also indicates that the regulation does not provide any timeframe for re-entry but does include some protections to prevent a broad application on Americans or permanent residents as a whole.
One of President Donald Trump’s most reported travel restrictions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the March Europe travel ban, did not “apply to permanent residents (generally) immediate family members of US citizens, and other individuals who are identified in the proclamation.”
The regulation, if promulgated, could now impact Americans spending time abroad.
The order could be particularly significant for legal permanent residents with family living abroad. Legal permanent residents are generally free to travel outside of the US without impacting immigration status. However, COVID-19 travel policies have limited the ability of international travel even for international familial purposes, and the regulation considered by the Trump administration further complicates the restriction.
A number of countries have banned travel from the US, citing the number of US COVID-19 cases and risks of allowing entry of Americans who could have been exposed to the disease.
Multiple groups have claimed that the regulation could raise Constitutional concerns.
