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The Post reports that Biden’s plan (expected to be released following his inauguration, while other outlets say within the next several days) will include a faster timeline for immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs.
While most undocumented immigrants will reportedly see an eight-year process (five years of temporary status followed by a three-year citizenship wait), DACA and TPS beneficiaries will reportedly be able to apply for green cards immediately, Politico reported. (These two groups have already been registered with the government for years.) The overall eight-year wait would also be down from the current 13-year wait for immigrants who qualify for the citizenship process (which the vast majority of undocumented immigrants currently don’t).
“Biden’s legislative proposal, which will be sent to Congress on Wednesday, also includes a heavy focus on addressing the root causes of migration from Central America, a key part of Biden’s foreign policy portfolio when he served as vice president,” the Post reported. Biden’s presidential campaign previously released a plan for Central America detailing a multibillion dollar strategy addressing “the factors pushing people to leave their countries in the first place,” including climate change, an issue highlighted by Julián Castro in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
House Democrats in 2019 passed legislation putting DACA, TPS, and Deferred Enforced Departure holders onto a path to citizenship after taking control of the chamber in 2018, but the bill was then left to die by Senate Republicans led by soon-to-be-former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. However, Democrats’ win of the Senate chamber in this past election represents the best opportunity in years to pass legislation protecting all undocumented people in the U.S. The horrors of the past several years have shown in the most stark and inhumane terms that these families can no longer wait.
But as we fight for permanent relief, Biden also plans to carry out a number of executive actions, including rolling back destructive policies put in place by the outgoing administration targeting families both here and at the border. “Shortly after taking office this week, President-elect Joe Biden plans to begin gradually making it easier to seek asylum along the U.S.-Mexico border, impose a deportation moratorium and extend protections for so-called ‘Dreamers’ using his executive authority,” CBS News reported according to sources.
Immigrant rights advocates including Community Change co-president Lorella Praeli noted Biden’s proposed plan “will not seek to trade immigration relief for enforcement, and that’s huge,” the Post continued. That’s absolutely correct—the southern border is militarized enough already, and out-of-control federal immigration agencies like Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement already get billions upon billions every year to act and abuse with impunity. Enough.
“If there is a silver lining to the Trump era, it’s that it should now be clear to everyone that our system needs a massive overhaul and we can no longer lead with detention and deportation,” she continued to the Post.
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