City representatives and advocates have said that president Joe Biden’s newest immigration policies have brought them hope, but that there is still skepticism in the community. While Biden’s sweeping reforms have appeared bold, it will likely take time for the former Trump administration’s actions to be reversed.
One of Biden’s first steps was to sign a memorandum on January 20 that ordered the attorney general and the secretary of Homeland Security to preserve and fortify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. Executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition Eva Millona said that while this was an important move, change will not be immediate.
“We are very excited that immigration is on top of the agenda. But we do remain concerned about the timing of this. It’s going to take time to undo the damage and reverse 400 changes, practices, and regulations,” said Millona. “It’s an enormous task. It’s incredibly challenging. …We also call on our state legislature to act on an immigration agenda that serves our Commonwealth. It is a divided Congress; it will take time to reverse and eliminate those policies.
Biden has also proposed the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, which, if passed, would create an eight-year path to citizenship for undocumented people. This path consists of two phases. During the first phase, individuals would be granted temporary legal status, with the option of applying for permanent residency after five years. In this phase, they would be allowed to work in the United States, pay taxes, and clear background checks. In the second phase, green card holders would have the chance to apply to become citizens. The act would also make Dreamers eligible to apply for permanent residency.
The president has also issued several other executive actions aimed at reforming conditions for immigrants in the U.S. He is creating a task force that will identify children separated from their parents under the former administration and reunite the families. He will also be suspending the “Remain in Mexico” program, which had directed approximately 60,000 migrants to stay in Mexico until their court date in the U.S., which had left numerous asylum seekers in dangerous conditions. Biden has also come up against challenges, as a federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked the administration’s 100-day moratorium on deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Director of legal services at Rian Immigrant Center Tony Marino said that while many immigrants they work with are relieved, there is still a great amount of uncertainty in the community. Marino said that he is heartened to hear that DACA has been restored but that it is still very much a “temporary pause in enforcement,” or a band-aid solution.
“It is meaningful that the administration has recommitted to DACA,” said Marino. “That’s great news. But in very real, practical terms, people with DACA are in the same position that they were on January 19. They still don’t have a pathway. They’re still unable to protect their families. They’re still not quite allowed to be full members. These are all people who have grown up here. This is the home that they know.”
Marino said that he hopes Biden’s plans will eventually go farther and that there remains room for improvement. He said that he would like to see a rethinking of detention practices and a functioning asylum system in place. He also expressed his disappointment that the DREAM act was never passed and that immigrants whose talents continue to be put to use are still scape-goated in society. There has been positive rhetoric, he said, but many are waiting to see what will be put into practice.
“We, as advocates for immigrants and people who care about the immigrants in our community, have been very cautiously optimistic about the Biden administration and how far they’ve been willing to go,” said Marino. “His actions have allowed us to continue to be optimistic, without really fixing anything yet. …The CDC COVID pretextual ban [Order suspending the right to introduce certain persons from countries where a quarantinable communicable disease exists] that allows border officers to deny due process to asylum seekers – that’s still in place.” He added, “People who have been forced into refugee camps in Mexico, they have not been invited to file their applications or to enter.”
Marcony Almeida-Barros, director of community engagement in the attorney general’s office, said that there is still fear in the immigrant community that he hopes the Biden administration will address through policy. While economic recovery and a response to the coronavirus will be at the top of the president’s agenda, he said that he hopes the administration will enact change around immigration soon, as well.
“For someone who has gone through this process, you are not a hundred percent comforted and secure until you have a green card or become a U.S. citizen,” said Almeida-Barros. He added, “There are many things that they cannot do. It is an uncertain time, even though they are way more relieved than they were before.”
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