While the damage done over the past four years can’t be fixed overnight, Biden has made it clear he wants to make it easier for immigrants to live and work in the U.S.
History has demonstrated that immigrants to the U.S. tend to have more support and a clearer path to rights and citizenship under Democratic Party leadership. During the Trump administration, immigrating to the U.S. became more difficult, expensive and time consuming. Since his first day in office, President Biden has made it a priority to undo much of President Trump’s immigration legacy.
While the damage done over the past four years can’t be fixed overnight, Biden has made it clear he wants to make it easier for immigrants to live and work in the U.S.
Despite all the obstacles faced during the Trump administration, many people still want to immigrate to the U.S. Asylum-seekers still want to find safety in our country and students still want to study here. At the end of the day, many residents of countries far and wide want to become U.S. citizens and contribute to the country’s well-being and economic success.
President Biden has his sights set on making it easier to immigrate to the United States. His plan includes shorter, simpler forms and fewer security hoops for immigrants to navigate. Additionally, under the Biden administration, foreigners from every country will have better opportunities to join their families and secure work visas.
The good news is that a lot has already happened on immigration since Biden took office. The bad news is most of the administration’s actions to date have been less about breaking new ground, and more about trying to repair the enormous damage done by President Trump, the most anti-immigrant president in modern history.
The impact of Trump’s presidency and immigration policies can be felt far and wide. The average time it takes to approve an employer-sponsored green card has doubled; the backlog for citizenship applications is up to more than 900,000 cases, an 80% increase since 2014; and approval for the U-visa program, which grants legal status for immigrants willing to help the police, has gone from five months to roughly five years.
Recently, a White House official said the Biden administration is focused on "rebuilding" the U.S. immigration system and reversing hundreds of immigration changes made in the past four years.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR?
While there is still a way to go, the Biden administration has made some impactful changes to immigration policy already.
· Biden put a stop to Trump’s border wall building project.
· The current administration ended Trump’s family separation policy that required federal agents to separate thousands of children from their parents in an effort to deter undocumented immigrant families from crossing the border.
· As one of his early executive actions, Biden established a task force to locate and reunite nearly 400 migrant children and parents and who remain apart after being separated near the southern border during the Trump administration.
· The administration is backing the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, which is designed to provide a pathway to citizenship for roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, as well as current DACA dreamers, Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries, essential workers on a non-immigrant status and agricultural laborers.
· Biden formally ended the Migrant Protection Protocol, also known as the Remain in Mexico program, last month. This initiative forced refugees seeking asylum to stay in Mexico as they awaited their day in federal immigration court, even if it meant they were forced to live in unclean camps or on the streets.
The Biden administration is also focused on restoring opportunities for foreign employees through the existing H-1B visa program, intended for workers with special skills, and creating new pathways for foreign entrepreneurs who wish to establish start-up businesses and create jobs for U.S. workers.
Jessica M. Cadavid is an Immigration Attorney with Cadavid & Associates. She is dedicated to helping individuals, families and employees navigate the immigration process. If you need help with an immigration issue, call (602) 515.8859 to schedule a consultation with an immigration attorney today.
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