The first 100 days of a new administration say a lot about the new president’s priorities for the next four years. They set the tone for the new administration and give insight to the country’s new direction.
In 2021, the Biden Administration has made it clear that their focus on immigration not only involves undoing the cruel and xenophobic policies of the Trump Administration, but also moving forward with a pro-immigrant agenda that modernizes our immigration system. While President Biden has made significant changes to immigration in his first 100 days, there is still more that needs to be done.
Here’s a recap of what has and hasn’t been done on immigration so far:
So far, the Biden Administration has:
- Introduced the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, which provides pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants
- Signed Executive Orders to:
- End the Muslim Ban
- Fully reinstate DACA
- Reverse Trump’s plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from the U.S. Census
- Extend relief for a small group of Liberians living in the U.S. with Deferred Enforced Departure (DED)
- Start ending “Remain in Mexico” (MPP) program for asylum seekers
- Stop all construction of the border wall
- Combat discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI)
- Designated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela and Burma, and extended TPS for Syria
- Ended the “Public Charge” rule which was used as a wealth test by the previous administration
- Revoked the Trump administration’s ban on legal immigration for family members of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents and on diversity visa lottery
- Created the “Task Force on the Reunification of Families” to reunite the children that were separated under the Trump administration
The New Administration Must Still:
- End Title 42, a Trump-era policy which has been used to block asylum seekers and expel them to dangerous conditions
- Redesignate TPS for Haiti
- Rescind Trump-era H-1B regulations which added unnecessary burdens on immigrants with employment visas
- Continue to expand efforts at the border to provide safe accommodations and a fair adjudication system to every asylum seeker at our border
- Address the backlog of pending cases in immigration offices and courts
- Raise the refugee ceiling from its current historically low number
- Include a pathway to citizenship for essential workers, immigrants youth, TPS holders, and farm workers in the “Build Back Better Reconciliation Package”
- Pass the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 which, among other benefits, would provide a path to citizenship for every undocumented person currently living in the U.S.
In the next 100 days, Biden should lean in and continue to focus on immigration. New polling shows that 74 percent of likely voters support legislation that would create a earned pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, farmworkers and other essential workers.
As Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, states: “The President at his best is bold, leans in, speaks of solutions and values, and promises to solve long standing challenges.”
We hope President Biden continues to lean in and go big on immigration. It is what the majority of Americans want.
