Americans in Mexico take extreme precautions due to covid-19 3:47
(CNN) - The Donald Trump administration is considering ways to restrict entry at the U.S.-Mexico border that could include U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents over concerns about the coronavirus, according to a source familiar with the matter.
It is the administration's latest attempt to seal US borders, based on the virus. In March, the administration invoked a public health law to swiftly expel migrants, including children, who are detained at the border. That action, including a host of other travel restrictions, has been extended over the course of the pandemic.
The options the administration is weighing would likely also be up to authorities at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the source said. The New York Times first reported on the possibility of preventing Americans from returning to the US on a limited basis amid fears that they may be infected with the coronavirus.
"CDC career professionals are working on a comprehensive approach to pandemic control both now and in the future," an administration official with knowledge of the ongoing discussions told CNN. “The regulation is in draft form and subject (to) change. This is an ongoing process and any report on it would be extremely premature. '
MIRA : Increase in covid-19 cases causes more restrictions to cross the Mexico-US border.
CNN contacted the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security, which declined to comment.
A draft memo obtained by The New York Times says that any move to block citizens and legal permanent residents must "include appropriate protections to ensure that constitutional rights are not violated" and would apply "only in the rarest of circumstances."
The United States outperforms other countries in coronavirus cases, including Mexico and Canada, which have more than 480,000 and more than 122,000 cases, respectively.
Travel restrictions imposed by the administration during the pandemic have excluded US citizens and legal residents. For example, the United States limited non-essential travel at land ports of entry with Canada and Mexico. Americans cross borders regularly for a variety of reasons, including work, school attendance, family visits, and tourism.
LEE : The US recommends its citizens not to travel to 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean because of covid-19
Any measure directed at US citizens and lawful permanent residents, in particular, will likely face legal challenges. In the wake of Monday's New York Times report , the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) immediately called the measure "unconstitutional."
"The Trump administration has implemented one border ban after another, most recently on children and asylum seekers, using COVID-19 as an excuse, while abysmally failing to control the virus in the United States," said Omar Jadwat, Project Director of the ACLU Immigrant Rights, in a statement.
"The rumored decree would be another serious mistake in a year that has already seen too many," Jadwat added.
CNN's Nikki Carvajal contributed to this report.
United States Mexico border
