President Biden took immediate action on immigration after being sworn into office, with six of his 17 initial orders addressing immigration. This article details these policy changes and proposals.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that they would pause deportations for specific non-citizens in the U.S. for 100 days, would not accept any new enrollment into the Migrant Protection Protocols policy, i.e., the “remain in Mexico” program, and is planning to complete a full review of immigrations policies and programs.
The immigration legislation proposed by President Biden would incorporate protections for children that are migrating from Central America, a plan to hire more immigration judges for asylum cases, alternatives to immigrant detention centers, and replacing the term “alien” with “noncitizen” in immigration laws.
The Justice Department has rescinded the memo that established the “zero tolerance” enforcement policy. This policy was created to prosecute adults that crossed the border illegally and caused thousands of family separations.
A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked a 100-day pause on deportation. This is the first legal challenge to President Biden’s immigration agenda.
President Biden’s proposed immigration bill demonstrated that he prioritizes immigration reform. Sources have insisted on the importance of progress, which could mean trying to move pieces of the reform through Congress one at a time.
The Biden administration has plans to create a task force dedicated to the reunification of children and parents that were separated at the border as a result of Trump-era immigration policies. Familiar sources report that first lady Jill Biden plans on being a part of this task force to reunite families separated at the border.
Esther Olavarria, the deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and one of President Biden’s top immigration advisers, told U.S. mayors that President Biden plans to sign an executive order that would rescind the limits set on legal immigration by former President Donald Trump. President Biden may also sign another directive to review the public charge rule.
U.S. border officials were given permission by a three-member panel of circuit judges to utilize an emergency policy from the Trump-era to expel unaccompanied migrant children without an asylum interview or court hearing. Former President Trump appointed all three judges.
This article highlights four recommendations for the Biden-Harris administration to prevent further trauma to immigrant children in the U.S., related to family reunification, children’s development, care and custody of children, and social safety nets for immigrant children and families.
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