2 FEBRUARY 2021

Immigration Hub: Biden’s Executive Orders Are Critical to Rebuilding Our Country’s Asylum and Immigration Systems

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, President Joe Biden is expected to sign another set of executive orders to undo the cruelty and damage caused by former President Trump’s immigration policies. In response, Sergio Gonzales, Interim Executive Director of the Immigration Hub, issued the following statement:

“We applaud the actions taken by President Biden to undo some of the worst attacks against immigrants unleashed by the previous administration. For four long years, immigrants and refugees bore the brunt of Trump and Stephen Miller’s diabolical policies, including ‘Remain in Mexico’ and the separation of families at the border. The orders announced today reaffirm our commitment and standing as a country that welcomes refugees and allows us to begin establishing immigration policies that align with our values.

“Along with the legalization bill and executive orders announced on January 20th, President Biden and Vice President Harris are showing bold leadership to establish a fair, humane immigration system while overhauling broken policies exacerbated under Trump. We are committed to continuing to work with the Biden-Harris administration as well as Congress to make the sweeping reforms necessary to transform immigration in this country, ensuring a path to citizenship and other humane initiatives that will turn the page on Trump’s cruelty and help America’s recovery.”

The orders announced today are firmly aligned with the views of the American public. Recent polling shows that large majorities of voters, including independents and voters in battleground states, support policies to undo the harm of the Trump administration’s immigration policies and to make our system more welcoming for immigrants and those seeking asylum.

  • Voters continue to overwhelmingly support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants by a margin of 60% to 33%. (Survey conducted by Civiqs and Immigration Hub October 2020) 

  • 57% of voters support protecting undocumented essential workers and providing them a path to legal status and citizenship. (Civiqs and Immigration Hub December 2020)

  • A survey released by PRRI found that most Americans want more welcome immigration policies and 62% of people oppose a law preventing refugees from entering the U.S. This includes 66% of independents, 79% of Democrats and 36% of Republicans who are opposed. (PRRI poll released Jan. 2021)

    • Americans living in states that border Mexico are more likely to oppose this policy than Americans living elsewhere (67% vs. 61%).

  • By a margin of 58% to 26%, voters agree that “We should make it easier for people to immigrate to the U.S. legally, so that they will not try to come to this country without documentation.” (Civiqs/Immigration Hub poll - 10/2020)

    • This message resonates very well with Democrats (82% agree), but it also receives support from a large majority (58%) of Independents, and even 31% of Republicans.

  • Post election polling commissioned by the Immigration Hub found that 68% of voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania are opposed to Trump’s family separation policy. (Global Strategy Group polled 806 likely voters in Pennsylvania and 800 likely voters in Michigan between October 30th and November 8th, 2020.)

    • Trump’s family separation policy was listed among the most concerning of his administration’s immigration policies with over 55% of voters listing it their top concern.

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.