MLK's niece declares Trump's pandemic immigration ban will help black workers

The niece of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. backed President Trump’s temporary immigration ban, calling it a “human right” to put American workers ahead of foreigners as coronavirus infections continue to spread, causing the U.S. economy to crater.

Trump announced Monday he would temporarily suspend immigration as coronavirus infections grow and the United States attempts to return to re-open the economy after more than a month of widespread societal shutdowns and “social distancing.”

“I agree with President Trump,” niece and evangelist Alveda King, director of Civil Rights for the Unborn at Priests for Life, told Just the News. “Now, this is a temporary measure. This is not a forever measure."

King used the analogy of getting on a plane and a flight attendant telling passengers to put on their oxygen mask before helping others with their mask, in an emergency.

"So the president, when he says 'America first,' he never says 'America only.' Just 'America first.' So as we do that. ... Immigration slows for a time, then we become healthier, then we can reach out to others. That is the strategy. So people need to understand that. We've got to strengthen our own borders, our own lives, our own families, our own communities. Once we do that, then we can help others."

King also suggested that the president's 60-day immigration ban will also help with some of the sex trafficking and drug problems.

"And so that's always a good thing,” she said.

In addition to black Americans disproportionately suffering from coronavirus illness and death due to underlying health conditions, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that black Americans are hardest hit economically and less likely to be in a job that allows teleworking. 

And a report from the U.S. Civil Rights Commission under the Obama administration showed illegal immigration harms the economic livelihood of lower-educated African-Americans, particularly black men. Given this, King considered the question of whether the U.S. should consider immigration control a civil right for U.S. citizens to help protect their health and economic security. 

“Civil rights, I would not say, I think more it helps human rights, it helps Americans to get better," King said. "Civil rights, of course come after human rights, and human rights are endowed by our creator. So there are some rights, human rights, that we all have. And I believe we all have rights all over the planet to safety, security, provision, and all of that. When that is missing, it is wise for leaders of any nation to stop, take toll, repent, pray, return to God, and get things straightened out."

King said her family also grappled with the nuances of immigration, including its effect on employment for black workers.

“During her lifetime, my aunt Coretta Scott King spoke about immigration coming in and it would displace ‘Negroes,’ or blacks, as we were called back then,” King said. “And she even wrote about that. My uncle, Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke about immigration as well. My father, the Rev. A.D. King, with all of us having the understanding this nation was founded by immigrants, as it is today. We had the Native Americans here before we were here, of course. So we are all immigrants. ... Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Well, we may have come out on different boats, but we are all in the same boat now.' "

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which supports American businesses through advocacy and policy education, told Just the News that it did not support the immigration executive order.

“We will have to see exactly what the executive order actually says, but as a general matter we don’t have to close down legal immigration to reopen America; and that is what we are focused on, safely reopening and getting the economy going again,” said Neil Bradley, the chamber’s executive vice president and chief policy officer.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the immigration shutdown would particularly help black and Latino workers.

“President Trump is committed to protecting the health and economic well-being of American citizens as we face unprecedented times,” McEnany said. “As President Trump has said, ‘Decades of record immigration have produced lower wages and higher unemployment for our citizens, especially for African-American and Latino workers.’ At a time when Americans are looking to get back to work, action is necessary.” 

The White House also pointed to a survey by veteran pollster Scott Rasmussen (a Just the News polling partner) showing that nearly seven out of 10 voters support the immigration ban.

The temporary ban was supported by 82% of Republicans, 66% of Independents, and 64% of Democrats.

“Among those who strongly approve of President Trump, 84% support the ban,” Rasmussen reported. “Among those who strongly disapprove of the president, 57% share that same view. Overall, among all voters, just 15% oppose a temporary ban. In no measured demographic group does opposition reach 25%.”