Thanks to the Black-led, multi-racial coalition of organizers who made today possible, Biden is the new president! This is our victory. Because of our undeniable presence and resilient work, Biden has made immigration a top priority of his administration. Today he released details of his Day 1 immigration bill and list of planned executive actions. Here is what we know:
1) This is the most progressive immigration bill ever!
It helps people without hurting people. It provides pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented people without further funding the detention and deportation machine.
- It expedites citizenship for immigrant youth, TPS holders and farmworkers, creating a direct pathway to green cards and citizenship in 3 years.
- There is no funding for the wall, expanding detention or deportation.
- It prioritizes keeping families and communities together by eliminating the 3 and 10 year bars and allowing approved family members to wait for their green cards in the US, past policies that have split families and communities apart for years
- It eliminates LGBTQ+ discrimination by explicitly recognizing all partnerships in matters of immigration.
- It includes the NO BAN Act to limit presidential authority and prohibits discrimination against religions.
- It creates and expands protections for those going through deportation proceedings by providing orientation programs and counsel for children, vulnerable individuals, and others as well as hiring more judges and giving them back discretion to adjudicate cases.
2) Roll back of Trump’s policies.
We expect the Biden administration to use their executive power to roll back Trump’s deadly policies and expand protections to as many people as possible while legislation gets passed in Congress. The new president has already announced a few executive actions to that end:
- On DACA: he will sign a Presidential Memorandum to preserve and fortify the program protecting immigrant youth and direct Congress to provide permanent protections.
- On the Census: he will sign an Executive Order to Reverse President Trump’s Executive Order Excluding Undocumented Immigrants from the Reapportionment Count
- On the Muslim Ban: he will sign an Executive Action putting an end to the Muslim Ban, a policy rooted in religious animus and xenophobia. It will repeal Proclamations 9645 and 9983, which restrict entry into the United States from primarily Muslim and African countries
- On the Border Wall: A presidential proclamation will direct an immediate pause in wall construction projects to allow a close review of the legality of the funding and contracting methods used, and to determine the best way to redirect funds that were diverted by the prior Administration to fund wall construction.
- On Enforcement: Biden will sign an Executive Order revoking a Trump Executive Order that directed harsh and extreme immigration enforcement.
- On Liberian DED: Biden will sign a Presidential Memorandum to extend until June 30, 2022 the long-standing Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) designation for Liberians who have been in the United States for many years.
3) Our work continues!
Biden’s presidency represents a mandate for immigrant communities and people of color – that this new Administration must deliver bold policies that center our people. We must pass citizenship for all 11 million, expand and strengthen DACA, defund ICE and CBP, and start the moratorium on all deportations!
4) Join Us!
Join our Undeniable campaign to fight for the permanent protections our immigrant communities need: Check out our demands and learn how to take action.
