John Eggert contributed to this article about the how employers around the country reacted to President Trump's executive order on immigration during COVID-19.

Jonathan Eggert, an attorney with Burr & Forman LLP in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, says while the order is aimed at ensuring the hiring of American workers, “the administration also has to balance disruption to employers.”

Eggert notes U.S. embassies and consulates have essentially stopped issuing visas during the COVID-19 outbreak with limited exceptions. “Even without an [EO], almost no one is getting a new visa to come to the United States right now, meaning employers who are reliant on foreign national workers are potentially already feeling the pinch,” he says.

Will a pause on certain types of immigration mean American workers will fill any potential gaps? “Potentially, assuming there is a gap to fill,” Eggert says. “If this new executive order goes into place, any potential positive effect on unemployment in the United States is limited by the availability of jobs in the first place. Ultimately, Americans can’t fill jobs that disappeared as a result of COVID-19.”

Read the full article on HRLaw.com here.