Washington, DC – The following is a statement from Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, reacting to the reported news that President Biden is set to announce his re-election campaign and taking stock through the lens of immigration.
According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
“President Biden came into office with the most progressive vision for immigration policy from a Democratic president, and it is critical that he gets the immigration issue right. Leaning into immigration and delivering changes that are both compassionate and orderly are good politics and policy.
The most important reality of immigration policy and politics of the Biden first term is the fact that we still need an immigration legislative overhaul to modernize a broken system. Given ongoing Republican obstruction to that type of a solution, President Biden must continue to make progress through his executive branch powers. We want to see more of the smart use of his existing tools to advance an affirmative vision of immigration. For example, the strategic and sensible use of TPS should continue and expand, with redesignation, not just extension for Central Americans who have lived here for decades; and with the ongoing efforts to support DACA and Dreamers, such as the recent ACA eligibility announcement, the Biden administration has a chance to define immigration in a broader context than just the border. Parole programs to open new legal pathways have been used effectively with Ukrainians, Afghans, and with migrants in our hemisphere. They are good for the economy, safe for migrants, and help alleviate border pressures and the dangerous trek to the U.S. Republican opposition to such efforts also present an important opportunity to draw contrasts between President Biden’s proposed solutions and the GOP’s cruel and chaotic alternatives.
Meanwhile, we want to see fewer barriers to a legal and functional asylum system and fewer policies that seem to be warmed over versions of what the Trump administration pioneered. Buying into Republican frames on immigration and the border is a losing game and a missed opportunity to deliver on balanced solutions that strengthen the country and resonate with the broader voting public.
As recent battleground polling by Global Strategy Group on behalf of the Immigration Hub and VotoLatino demonstrates, the public strongly backs a legislative overhaul to fix a broken system and prefers a balanced approach to immigration that includes both border security and citizenship and legal pathways instead of Republicans’ favored enforcement-only alternatives. So don’t shy away, President Biden. Lean in and define your immigration record and vision and find ways to deliver on meaningful steps forward for the country.”
