Hogan: Trump immigration move ‘a distraction from what’s really going on’

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said that President Trump’s call to halt all immigration amid the coronavirus pandemic is “a distraction from what’s really going on.”

“I try not to pay any attention to the tweets from the president,” the Republican governor said on ABC’s “The View” on Tuesday morning. 

.@GovLarryHogan calls Pres. Trump halting immigration “a distraction from what’s really going on.”

“We have some terrific people from all around the world that are working in our hospitals and our health care system that are saving people’s lives.” https://t.co/f8u2wbJuik pic.twitter.com/9TOGmtFVyh

— The View (@TheView) April 21, 2020

Trump tweeted Monday that he was going to issue an executive order banning all immigration to the U.S. while the pandemic persists. The executive order has not yet been rolled out, and since the tweet, very little details have been released about the potential measure. 

Critics have noted that the travel restrictions already in place because of the pandemic have made it virtually impossible to immigrate to the U.S. even without an executive order from the president.

“It’s not really a policy and I don’t think he’s rolled out any kind of a proposal,” Hogan said. “I think it’s just a distraction from what’s really going on.”

Hogan on Monday announced that Maryland purchased 500,000 coronavirus test kits from South Korea to ramp up the state’s coronavirus mitigation capabilities. Various lawmakers and health experts have insisted that the only way to implement a phased reopening of the American economy is through widespread testing to determine who has developed immunity to the virus.

The governor noted that immigrants in his state have been part of the effort to treat and combat the spread of the virus. 

“We have some terrific people from all around the world that are working in our hospitals and our health care system that are saving people’s lives,” Hogan said.