Immigration & the Biden Administration: Expectations for 2021
As America celebrates the birth of a new administration, the questions of policy and action loom in many areas of life. Out of the many targets of the Trump administration, immigration was easily a top target, even being a core part of Trump’s presidential campaign. Now that Biden has taken the helm, people are curious about how immigration policy will change over the next 4-8 years.
In our latest blog, we’ll take a look at Biden’s campaign promises and initial actions regarding immigration and predict how his policy will affect immigrants in the short and long-term.
Biden’s Campaign Pitches On Immigration
To begin our analysis of the Biden administration, we’ll first take a look at the promises that Biden made during his campaign. Biden wanted to position himself as the polar opposite of Trump, whose policy position was incredibly hostile towards immigrants. While his stance was not the most progressive among Democratic candidates, it does include strong and long-overdue policy changes. According to his website, Biden plans to:
- Take urgent action to undo Trump’s damage and reclaim America’s values
- Modernize America’s immigration system
- Welcome immigrants to our communities
- Reassert America’s commitment to asylum-seekers and refugees
- Tackle the root causes of irregular migration
- Implement effective border screening
His website expounds on these goals by describing specific policy proposals like ending prolonged detention, reversing Trump’s asylum policies, reversing Trump’s public charge rule, protecting DREAMERs, and more. Most of these policies are echoes of positions advocated by immigration activists for many years.
Other specific policy positions mentioned by the Biden campaign include:
- Take urgent action to undo Trump’s damage and reclaim America’s values
- Modernize America’s immigration system
- Welcome immigrants to our communities
- Reassert America’s commitment to asylum-seekers and refugees
- Tackle the root causes of irregular migration
- Implement effective border screening
Judging from his campaign policies, it seems that the Biden administration will be great for immigrants and immigration activists. Nearly every aspect of the system will get some minor or major adjustments from the team, which should make life better for millions of immigrants and American families.
However, some are skeptical of Biden’s incredibly ambitious immigration goals, especially given his assertion that “nothing will fundamentally change” to wealthy donors. Some would prefer him to make radical changes like abolishing ICE, but the Biden administration has made it clear that that was not their stance. Nonetheless, it seems as though the Biden administration will be a much-needed breath of fresh air for American immigration policy.
Of course, politicians tend to over-promise and then peel back once in office. Biden could certainly be doing the same thing, as some asserted during his campaign. Next, we will use Biden’s first 3 weeks in office as a small sample of his immigration policy.
Biden’s Initial Immigration Policies
Biden has wasted no time in getting some of his immigration policies into action. Among his first a slew of executive orders delivered on the day of his inauguration, Biden has strengthened protections for DACA recipients and halted work on the Trump administration’s border wall.
President Joe Biden has also signed an executive order which will expand refugee resettlement and improve the program. Initially, these actions show that he has been wasting no time, though some are uncertain that Biden will actually help as he has promised.
One major issue that has yet to be addressed by the Biden administration is ICE and CBP abuses against immigrants. During the pandemic, detainees have reported inhumane treatment and a lack of protection from the virus. In addition, a recent allegation of forced sterilization levied against a Georgia ICE detention center has led to calls for reforms or even abolition of the agency.
Recently, Biden has attempted to address this by halting deportations but the agencies have continued to deport hundreds of people. The administration has failed to get the agencies under control, leading to some worrying that these agencies will not be beholden to Biden’s orders.
Perspective is key, though, and the Biden administration still has roughly 80 days to accomplish its first few policy promises at the time of writing this article. It is too early to make definitive predictions, but his initial policy actions seem to warrant at least a cautious optimism.
Trust Our Offices For All Things Immigration!
No matter the administration, The Law Offices of Rios, Parada & Seañez PLLC is committed to staying up to date on changes that will affect the world of immigration. We will continue to fight for the rights of immigrants throughout this administration and through many more.
To learn more about our immigration services or schedule a consultation, contact us via phone or through our contact page!