This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
The U.S. has declared that anyone who is affiliated with or a member “of the Communist Party or any other totalitarian party … domestic or foreign, is inadmissible to the United States.” The law effectively blocks members of the Chinese Communist Party from ever obtaining permanent residency or citizenship in the U.S. The USCIS said the policy was “part of a broader set of laws passed by Congress to address threats to the safety and security of the United States.” The announcement was made in a policy alert issued by USCIS on Friday. South China Morning Post
In other federal immigration news…
Pence Ordered CDC to Seal Border
Vice President Mike Pence directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to use its emergency powers to effectively seal the U.S. borders, overruling agency doctors who said there was no evidence the move would do anything to slow the coronavirus. The top CDC doctor who oversees such orders refused to comply with the Trump administration’s directive, according to three people with direct knowledge of the doctor’s refusal. Pence called Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDC director, and told him to use the agency’s special legal authority anyway, according to three people with knowledge of the event. Associated Press