Biden: The 10 keys to President Joe Biden's immigration reform plan

 Biden: The 10 keys to President Joe Biden's immigration reform plan

 

On the first day of his term, President Joe Biden sent an immigration bill to Congress on Wednesday that paves the way for the legalization of more than 11 million undocumented immigrants and increases resources for border control and aid to Central America to deal with the causes of migration.  

Biden has also promised a review of some 400 ordinances with which, without legislation, his predecessor Donald Trump restricted asylum, detained tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants, and made the processing of legal residency visas and the acquisition of US citizenship.

 

In a semantic change, the proposal substitutes the term "alien", whose literal translation is strange, with that of "non-citizen" in official government documents.

 

The central themes of the proposal are a path to citizenship for the undocumented and the strengthening of labour protections, priority of the most effective controls at the border, and attention to the main causes of migration.

 

These are the 10 key points of the immigration problem in the United States and Joe Biden's proposals, according to his plan released today:

 

1 - A temporary legal status for undocumented persons who have entered the country before January 1, 2021, and have a stay in the country for at least five years, after which they will be granted permanent residence (green card). Three years later, these immigrants will be able to apply for and obtain US citizenship.

 

2 - Immediate granting of permanent legal residence to beneficiaries of the Deferred Action (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs and subsequent citizenship option.

 

3 – Biden vowed collaboration with the Governments of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala and the allocation of resources to address the economic and social causes that push millions of people to the path of illegal migration with the hope of a better life if they reach U.S. This includes the creation of processing centres in Central America for the procedures of those seeking refuge.

 

4 - The improvement of the immigration courts and the allocation of funds for legal orientation and assistance programs for minors and vulnerable individuals to ensure the fair resolution of their applications. This includes funds for school districts where migrant children who are not accompanied by adults receive an education.

 

5 – Biden also vowed the suspension of the measure that led to the separation between 2017 and 2018 of some 5,000 minors from their migrant parents, and an effort to reunite with their families some 600 children who have remained in government custody.

 

6 – Biden also ordered the cancellation of the Trump administration's policy - known as the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP) - whereby tens of thousands of people who arrived at the US border requesting asylum have been returned to Mexico and Central America awaiting their asylum procedures.

 

7 - The cancellation of Trump's policy whereby tens of thousands of undocumented migrants have been detained for long periods while waiting for their deportation proceedings to be completed.

 

8 – Joe Biden also ordered the cancellation of the “public charge” rule under which immigration authorities can deny legal permanent residence to people who have used social assistance programs such as food stamps or housing subsidies.

 

9 - Regarding the protection of the border, Joe Biden has promised that he will abandon the Trump project for the construction of a border wall and will reallocate resources to improve the operation of customs posts and the use of technology and more personnel in combat of human and drug smuggling.

 

10 – Joe Biden also promised a substantial increase in humanitarian resources at the border, with support for religious and nongovernmental organizations, legal aid groups, and health assistance institutions to assist migrants while completing the asylum applications.