An AILA analysis of Biden’s early immigration policies

Posted on by Kayla Goldstein

The logo for the American Immigration Lawyers Association – AILA. The website where the information in this blog post was published.

 

President Biden has had a lot to cover in his short time in office so far. From reversing executive orders set by Donald Trump, to creating his own regulations and policies, the man has been exceptionally busy. In our past blog posts, we have broken down some of the immigration policy changes, both immediate and long-term, that are sweeping through the country. However, there are even more to add to that growing list. Let’s take a look.

 

Biden’s Recent Immigration Orders

  • Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) remains unchanged.
  • *Deportations were paused for 100 days (beginning on January 22), but there are still some exceptions. New enforcement policies will be made public soon.
  • **Travel bans barring entry for nationals of certain Muslim-majority and African nations were revoked. 
  • Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) protection was extended for Liberian nationals until June 30, 2022. 
  • Enrollments in the Migrant Protection Protocols that keep asylum seekers waiting in Mexico were suspended — but it is unclear how cases will be handled at the border.

 

 *Update on deportations: On Jan. 26, a district court in Texas temporarily prevented the government from implementing the 100-day pause. Head to our more recent blog post to see what this could mean for you for more information.

 

**The travel bans applied to nationals from Burma, Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Nigeria, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela, and Yemen. These policies could, again, change at any time.

 

The next question to ask is whether or not Congress will pass Biden’s immigration bill. President Biden proposed (both on his campaign trail and now while in office) a progressive immigration bill that would make more people eligible for legal status within the United States. Congress has not yet passed any immigration bill into law, meaning there are still no new options to apply for legal status. But still, we remain hopeful.

 

When will we see actual change in policy?

Biden has declared there will be many changes in our current immigration to come. But it will take us time to get there. These ideas and policies still need to go through an implementation process and first we need a change in law. We need to wait and see what will happen, which we know can be frustrating. This is a big project to take on though, and it will not likely produce tangible results in the short term.

 

We thank our friends at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) for this information that was published by their team of immigration experts.

 

We hope you’ve learned some new information from this post. Please reach out to us if you or someone you know is in need of legal assistance regarding their immigration status or goals. If  you have any questions or concerns about your case, the information in this blog or you just want to schedule an appointment to speak with an immigration attorney, please give us a call at our Pittsburgh office at 412.258.8080, our Philadelphia office at 215-982-2381, or schedule a free consultation on our site using this link. Stay safe and keep healthy!