Biden to roll back Trump immigration policies and give 9 million pathway to citizenship

Pollemix News – February 02, 2021
President Joe Biden will sign a new wave of Executive Orders today, aimed at reversing President Trump’s hardline immigration policies, reuniting migrant children separated under the ‘zero-tolerance’ policy and creating an accessible ‘pathway to citizenship’ for the ‘more than nine million immigrants who are currently eligible to apply.’

Since entering the White House less than a fortnight ago the new administration has begun their tenure at breakneck speed, looking to overturn as much of the legislation implemented under former President Trump as possible through the executive branch. Today’s reversal on immigration policy comes on the heels of a raft of orders issued last week that pushed for a more aggressive US response to climate change and environmental protection.

Over the last 10 days, I’ve taken action on:

– COVID-19
– The economy
– Climate change
– Racial equity
– Immigration
– Health care
– LGBTQ+ rights

And I’m just getting started.

— President Biden (@POTUS) January 30, 2021

As he promised on the campaign trail, President Biden’s first order will be to task Homeland Security with reuniting migrant families separated by his predecessor’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy implemented in 2018. The policy allowed for parents to be prosecuted and deported whilst retaining their children in Federal Custody. Following backlash over the hardline approach the policy was pared back, however, there are still 600 children who are yet to be reunited with their families. A senior White House aide explained the rationale behind the proposal saying:

“President Trump was so focused on the wall he did nothing to address the root causes of why are people are coming to our southern border — it was a limited, wasteful and naive strategy, and it failed. People continue to migrate to the United States — even today — because of it. President Biden’s approach is to deal with immigration comprehensively, fairly and humanely.”

A second order will mirror a similar policy implemented by the Obama administration which seeks to open up legal immigration channels such as the Central American Minors Program, which allowed Central American children to reunite legally with their parents in the US. The order will also seek to shut down Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico‘ policy which stipulated that asylum seekers, particularly those from Central America, would be required to await their court hearings in poor conditions in dangerous Mexican border towns such as Ciudad Juárez and Mexicali.

The final Biden decree seeks a full review of all President Trump’s immigration policies to determine whether they are aligned with the Government’s goal to promote “integration and inclusion.” It will also review a 2019 ‘public charge rule’ which allowed immigration officials to refuse green card applications if they were receiving any form of benefits. The order will also review the current naturalization process for 9 million migrants already settled in the US with a goal of streamlining an eventual pathway to citizenship for those eligible to apply.

Biden’s sweeping changes to immigration policies will likely be lauded by the progressive wing of the Democratic party, particularly after he earlier fulfilled his campaign promise to stop construction on the ‘stalled’ border wall and lift the 2018 ‘muslim travel ban’. If Biden’s intention is to provide citizenship to 9 million immigrants within the US, however, he will require bipartisan support to pass legislation through both the House and Senate. At present, considering the state of the US economy, the slim Democratic margin in Congress and the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic that may just be a bridge too far.

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