The results are in, Joe Biden will be the country’s next president. Joe Biden’s immigration plans are certainly aspirational. He, like many of his predecessors, wants meaningful legislative reform.
The centerpiece of Joe Biden’s immigration plan is to provide a roadmap to citizenship for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants. His plan also includes improving the visa program for temporary workers in select industries, expanding the number of high-skilled visas available, and eliminating the limits on employment-based visas by country. Further, Biden wants to offer visa applicants a temporary non-immigrant visa valid until their permanent visas are processed.
In addition, Biden stated that he will back a new program that would allow any county or municipal executive of a large or midsize county or city to petition for additional immigrant visas to support the region’s economic development strategy.
In his first 100 days as President, Biden proposes the following actions.
- Reversing the policies that separate parents from their children at the border, including ending the prosecution of parents for minor immigration violations, and prioritizing the reunification of any children still separated from their families.
- Ending the Migrant Protection Protocols. The Migrant Protection Protocols are a U.S. government action whereby certain foreign individuals entering or seeking admission to the U.S. from Mexico – illegally or without proper documentation – may be returned to Mexico and wait outside of the U.S. for the duration of their immigration proceeding.
- Committing more humanitarian resources to the border and fostering public-private initiatives.
- Reversing the public charge rule, which is currently the subject of several court cases. The public charge rule has been criticized as a “wealth test” for prospective immigrants.
- Ending the national emergency that diverts federal funds to build the border wall.
- Reinstating DACA and ensuring that Dreamers are eligible for federal student aid and are included in future proposals to provide access to community college without debt.
- Allowing Temporary Protected Status holders who have been in the country for an extended period of time a path to citizenship.
- Creating a parole process for veterans deported, to reunite them with their families and military colleagues in the U.S.
- Streamlining and improving the naturalization process.
- Revitalizing the Task Force on New Americans. The Task Force will coordinate federal agencies and resources to provide community support across a range of issues, including language learning, entrepreneurship and financial management, workforce training, and guidance on the naturalization process.
Joe Biden’s immigration plan stands in sharp contrast to the previous administration’s policies and he will need public support, as well as support from Congress to achieve his goals. Silver Immigration will continue to monitor and report on Joe Biden’s immigration policies throughout his term.