The anticipation of a new administration that would address the inequities of the country’s immigration policy has been palpable. The Biden transition committee announced early on that, once sworn in, President Biden would sign multiple executive orders and in the first week send an immigration legislative package to Congress. True to the committee’s word, the president signed the following executive orders on the first two days of his administration:
- Reverse President Trump’s Executive Order Excluding Undocumented Immigrants from the Reapportionment Count
- Preserve and Fortify Protections for Dreamers
- Reverse the Muslim Ban
- Repeal President Trump’s Interior Enforcement Executive Order
- Stop Border Wall Construction
- Presidential Memorandum on Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians
President Biden is sending the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 to Congress to restore humanity and American values to our immigration system. The legislation modernizes our immigration system and prioritizes keeping families together, growing our economy, responsibly managing the border with smart investments, addressing the root causes of migration from Central America, and ensuring that the United States remains a refuge for those fleeing persecution.
The U.S. Citizenship Act will:
- Create an earned roadmap to citizenship for undocumented individuals
- Keep families together
- Embrace diversity
- Promote immigrant and refugee integration and citizenship
- Grow our economy
- Protect workers from exploitation and improve the employment verification process
- Supplement existing border resources with technology and infrastructure
- Manage the border and protect border communities
- Crack down on criminal organizations
- Improve immigration courts and protect vulnerable individuals
- Support asylum seekers and other vulnerable populations
The Biden administration understands that there is a short window of opportunity to pass this legislation and the next few weeks and months are critical. They are prepared to work with Congress by pulling out easier sections to be passed first, and of course Congress will make their changes as they see fit.
The Immigration Committee has been eagerly awaiting these actions and will track and evaluate each policy as the new administration and Congress evaluate and negotiate.
—Mary Ann Lutz, Immigration Committee