President Joe Biden will sign several executive actions in the coming hours that aim to disarm the “ zero tolerance ” immigration policy inherited from his predecessor, Donald Trump.
The actions, expected to be signed by Biden this afternoon around 5:00 p.m. ET, will mandate a review of the policies implemented over the past four years to deter undocumented immigration along the border, measures that will enforce Congressional asylum policies. severely affected.
Trump’s policies also affected legal immigration.
Another measure to be announced by Biden includes the creation of a National Security Task Force to reunite families who were forcibly separated at the border when they came to seek asylum.
Officially, the program was run between the beginning of May and September 20, 2018, with a total of 2,654 families. But according to reports from the Trump administration itself, the divorces began in April 2017, and the total number of families affected is several thousand.
A report by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General in January 2019 revealed that the government had no ordered protocol to separate and also reunite families.
What the White House says
The White House said Monday afternoon that the decrees that the president will sign are to “reform our immigration system by keeping families together, addressing the root causes of irregular migration and simplifying the legal immigration system.”
The press release adds that the Biden-Harris government additionally will announce the creation of a “family reunification working group” to ensure the location and reunification of all families affected by forced divorce carried out by the Trump administration on the border with Mexico.
The executive orders that the president will sign also aim to find regional solutions to the issue of illegal immigration, in partnership with the governments of Central America and Mexico.
Last Friday, former United States Ambassador to Mexico, Roberta Jacobson, who was appointed by Biden to direct immigration policy at the border, expected the orders to target Establish a shared line of action between the United States and the countries from which immigration is generated to the North, addressing the causes that lead to the displacement of thousands of people each year seeking asylum and / or better life opportunities .
Immigration Reformation
One of the other decrees announced by the White House is related to immigration reform, one of Biden’s campaign promises.
The government said that on January 20, the day of the inauguration, the president “took the first steps in a broad government effort” and sent Congress the guidelines of what will become a bill. including “a path to citizenship for the nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants who live and contribute to our country”.
The plan, led by Senator Bob Menéndez, is in preparation and should be presented in the third week of February, the New Jersey legislature said in a conference call with journalists last week.
The bill is based on Bill S.744 passed by the Senate on June 27, 2013, which was rejected by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives at the time.
The plan includes a five-year temporary residence for undocumented migrants who do not have a criminal record and pay taxes. At the end of this period, they can apply for permanent residence (Green card) and three years later they are eligible for citizenship.
Dreamers, immigrants under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and essential workers are immediately eligible for the Green card, indicates Biden’s plan.
‘Do not come’
As the government makes progress in the reform of the immigration system, the White House reiterates that the situation at the border will be maintained and warned immigrants seeking asylum, or considering starting the journey from their countries of origin, not to do so because the situation “has not changed.”
On Friday, Jacobson insisted that “now is not the time to arrive” and indicated that “procedures for entering the United States will not change overnight and that the journey is especially dangerous during a pandemic.
The ambassador added that the Biden government is “committed to a fair, orderly and humane border procedure, but it will take time.”
The White House says the president’s strategy “is based on the premise that our country is safer, stronger and more prosperous with a fair, secure and orderly immigration system that welcomes immigrants and keeps immigrants together. Families.”
As for the task force that will oversee the forcibly divorced families during the Trump administration, the White House said this body will “make recommendations to the president and federal agencies about steps they can take to reunite them.” “
In addition, the working group will periodically inform the president and recommend measures to prevent such tragedies from happening again, he said.
Legal Immigration
With regard to legal immigration, the executive orders that Biden will issue they include the implementation of a three-part plan to ensure, he notes, “safe, legal and orderly migration in the region”.
First, the government will address the root causes of migration through a strategy to address the instability, violence and economic insecurity that are currently driving migrants from their homes, ”he explains.
“Second, the government will work with regional partners, including foreign governments, international organizations and nonprofits, to strengthen the capacity of other countries to provide protection and opportunities for asylum seekers and migrants closest to their homes.”
Finally, the plan states that “the government will ensure that Central American refugees and asylum seekers have access to legal channels to the United States.”
The DHS Secretary will review the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program and make recommendations to the President.
