Joe Biden Announces His Immigration Program
Former Vice President Joe Biden has unveiled a program for immigration (“The Biden Plan for Securing Our Values as a Nation of Immigrants”)
Among other things, the plan states that
“As president, Biden will forcefully pursue policies that safeguard our security, provide a fair and just system that helps to grow and enhance our economy, and secure our cherished values. He will:
Take urgent action to undo Trump’s damage and reclaim America’s values
Modernize America’s immigration system
Welcome immigrants in our communities
Reassert America’s commitment to asylum-seekers and refugees
Tackle the root causes of irregular migration
Implement effective border screening”
The Biden plan calls for an ambitious first 100 days:
“In the first 100 days, a Biden Administration will:
Immediately reverse the Trump Administration’s cruel and senseless policies that separate parents from their children at our border . . . .
End Trump’s detrimental asylum policies. . . .
End the mismanagement of the asylum system, which fuels violence and chaos at the border. . . .
Surge humanitarian resources to the border and foster public-private initiatives. . . .
End prolonged detention and reinvest in a case management program. . . .
Reverse Trump’s public charge rule . . . .
End the so-called National Emergency that siphons federal dollars from the Department of Defense to build a wall. . . .
Protect Dreamers and their families. . . .
Rescind the un-American travel and refugee bans, also referred to as `Muslim bans.’ . . .
Order an immediate review of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for vulnerable populations who cannot find safety in their countries ripped apart by violence or disaster. . . .
Restore sensible enforcement priorities. . . .
Ensure that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel abide by professional standards and are held accountable for inhumane treatment. . . .
Protect and expand opportunities for people who risked their lives in military service. . . .
Restore and defend the naturalization process for green card holders. . . ,
Revitalize the Task Force on New Americans and boost our economy by prioritizing integration, promoting immigrant entrepreneurship, increasing access to language instruction, and promoting civil engagement. . . .
Convene a regional meeting of leaders, including from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Canada, to address the factors driving migration and to propose a regional resettlement solution. . . .“
The Biden immigration plan also calls for immigration reform, with, among other things, a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants, and efforts to better integrate immigrants in our communities.
CNBC notes that “While the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential field has widely called Trump’s immigration policies inhumane, candidates have differed in how they want to fix the system. A handful of Biden’s rivals, first former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and then Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have called for decriminalizing border crossings. Biden does not want to do so.”
KJ
UPDATE (12/14): Nicole Narea on Vox reviews the Biden immigration plan.