CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A move to help the country’s economic recovery is drawing criticism from businesses in the tech industry.

With so many unemployed because of coronavirus, President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning several non-immigrant work visas for the rest of the year. It’s meant to cut down on competition for Americans looking for jobs.

More than 50 American tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have sued to stop the ban.

Steve Rao with New American Economy, which studies the economic impact of immigration, believes the order, meant to help American workers, will only hurt American companies. 

“What we’re doing now is saying we don’t want the best and brightest coming here,” Rao said. “That’s going to hurt us long term.”

The White House executive order said, along with international workers getting work through non-immigrant visas, the ban is meant to limit the number of family members who might travel and compete for American jobs.