13 APRIL 2021
Progress Report: Biden Leads on Immigration with Solutions Supported by Americans
WASHINGTON, D.C.— After four years of chaotic and intentionally cruel Trump immigration policies, President Biden is faced with a massive challenge of undoing the damage left behind and rebuilding our immigration system. While there are still major administrative policies and legislation needed to ensure the safety of families and address the reasons forcing individuals to flee their countries, in less than a hundred days since taking office, the Biden-Harris administration has made strong progress and laid the groundwork for a whole host of solutions that are critical to creating a more fair, humane and functional immigration system.
Biden refuses to turn away unaccompanied children fleeing violence. While Republicans are still advocating for draconian measures that would separate families and send children back to dangerous conditions, the Biden administration is ensuring the safety of children who arrive at the southern border seeking protection.
The administration is utilizing FEMA’s expertise in humanitarian response to prepare over 13,300 beds and leverage almost 3,000 volunteers to welcome and care for unaccompanied children while HHS works to safely expedite their reunification with family or match them with a sponsor.
The number of children in CBP custody has dropped 45% and is falling as more are transferred into HHS custody. As of Sunday, there were 3,130 children in the custody of CBP marking a drop from the peak of 5,767 on March 28, according to CNN.
Three new large and temporary influx facilities are operational and while neither the administration nor child advocates consider this setting ideal, the first priority is moving unaccompanied children from unacceptable CBP locations to sites where HHS staff or local NGO contractors will register and take care of children, and provide physical and mental wellness checks, clean clothing, pillows, blankets and personal supplies.
The administration is working hard to safely expedite the processing of children who can be released to vetted sponsors - about 90% of these kids will be reunited with a family member or sponsor already in the United States.
Investing in crucial improvements to our immigration system. President Biden released his first budget request last week which included over two billion dollars in investments to make the immigration system more efficient and effective. The administration also requested funds for targeted humanitarian and development projects that will improve the safety and livelihoods of families in Northern Triangle countries so that they are not forced to leave home.
$345 million to address naturalization and asylum case backlogs.
$891 million to hire more immigration judges to adjudicate the 1.3 million case backlog in the immigration courts.
$84 million over the 2021 enacted level for the Offices of Professional Responsibility at CBP and ICE to ensure that DHS workforce complaints are investigated expeditiously.
$861 million in funding for the State Department and USAID to Central America to address root causes of irregular migration from Central America and expand USAID’s support for programs that focus on anti-corruption, human rights, poverty reduction, economic growth, and violence prevention, including gender-based violence.
Reuniting families separated by the Trump administration. In his first day in office, Biden announced the formation of the Family Reunification Task Force to work on reuniting the families of 445 children who were separated under the prior “zero tolerance” policy.
The Trump administration’s almost non-existent record-keeping has made it extremely difficult to locate parents—a problem compounded by the amount of time that has passed.
100 of the remaining children are believed to have parents in the United States, while the parents of the rest are believed to have been deported.
Last week, the task force found 5,600 more files that may include more children separated from their parents.
Sec. Mayorkas announced that they will facilitate reunification inside the United States for parents who were deported without their children.
Reestablishing legal channels for individuals at risk of persecution in the region. Over four years, the Trump administration enacted over 1,000 policies with the sole intent of gutting all facets of our immigration system. In just a few months, Biden has reversed many of these policies, begun the process of rebuilding, and restarted programs to process asylum claims.
Ended Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as “Remain in Mexico”, and opened five ports of entry allowing over 6,000 asylum seekers who were forced to wait in Mexico for years to process their claims and remain in the US while their cases are adjudicated. More ports of entry are expected to open soon to process remaining MPP families.
Restarted the Obama-era Central American Minors Program so that children running for their lives can begin the process of reuniting with family members without having to take a dangerous journey to the U.S. border.
The administration should continue working toward reversal of all Trump policies on asylum that limit access to protection in the U.S.
Sent the U.S. Citizenship Act to Congress that would rebuild and modernize our broken immigration system:
The legislation would establish a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S.
The legislation 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 administration should continue to prioritize the legalization of Dreamers, TPS holders, essential workers and other immigrant workers through bipartisan efforts or budget reconciliation.
The work to rebuild a modern, humane immigration system that reflects American values continues. In addition to the work already underway, the Biden-Harris administration issued a ten-point plan to safely and humanely process people arriving to request asylum while reducing migration in the region:
Invest in Central America to address the root causes of migration
Establish refugee processing in the region
Strengthen and support the humanitarian response of countries in the region
Create legal channels for people to migrate from Central America
Target entities perpetrating violence in the region
Expand penalties and financial sanctions on narcotics traffickers, smugglers, and gangs
Target messaging to the region on the dangers of migration
Install more technology and infrastructure on the border
Restore efficient, humane, asylum processing
Pass immigration reform legislation
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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.