President Joe Biden signed three executive orders on immigration policy on Tuesday (Feb. 2), aiming to reverse the hard-line immigration policy under former President Donald Trump. However, Republican lawmakers questioned the move, arguing that it would lead to an influx of illegal immigrants into the U.S. and have a “catastrophic impact” on the country’s borders.
One of the executive orders would create a task force to allow children separated from their Parents at the U.S.-Mexico border under Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy to be reunited with their families, and the parents of these children would no longer need to stay in Mexico to wait, as they did under Trump, and could enter the U.S. to await immigration proceedings.
Biden tweeted Tuesday, “Generations of immigrants have made America stronger and diversity is America’s greatest strength. Today I’m taking action to rebuild and strengthen America’s immigration system.”
Early in his presidential campaign, one of Biden’s campaign ads promised to take action on “day one” to create such a task force. The task force will be chaired by the secretary of homeland security.
A senior U.S. official, who was not named, told NBC earlier that a lack of records at the Time of the separation of the children from their parents made it challenging to implement Biden’s new executive order.
Officials said the details of how to proceed have not been finalized, and that the task force will work with Family representatives and other stakeholders to identify all minor children separated from their parents or legal guardians as a result of Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy and make recommendations on how to implement it. The U.S. official said President Biden’s goal is to address immigration issues in a comprehensive, fair and humane manner.
A federal lawsuit in the Southern District of California has identified more than 600 children separated from their parents, most of whom were separated from their parents or guardians before April 6, 2018; then-U.S. Attorney General Sessions announced the launch of Trump’s plan.
President Biden’s second executive order will evaluate legal immigration programs in the United States; it includes the Central American Minors Program, which began under the Obama administration and allows certain children in the region to be legally reunited with their families in the United States. Former President Donald Trump ended the program in 2017. According to the U.S. government official, Trump’s termination of the program left thousands of people on the brink of oblivion.
Biden’s third executive order will direct the Departments of State, Justice and Homeland Security to review the guidelines and policies implemented under Trump to determine whether they are consistent with the current administration’s desire to promote “integration and inclusion.
Earlier, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement on President Biden’s executive order on immigration policy. Pelosi said, “The executive action announced by President Biden today proudly acknowledges the truth that immigrants are a source of regenerative energy for America and make America more American because they bring with them the hope, courage and determination to succeed in America.”
On the other hand, some of President Biden’s executive orders related to immigration policy continue to generate controversy and opposition. For example, last week a federal judge temporarily blocked enforcement of Biden’s executive order suspending deportations of illegal immigrants in the immigration application process for 100 days.
Senator Rubio, a longtime supporter of U.S. immigration policy and a Republican member of the Senate, said the U.S. Senate must now devote its full attention to issues of New coronavirus outbreak relief and jobs, not immigration.
Republican Senator Blackburn also tweeted last week that “Biden’s plan for an executive order on immigration would issue a dangerous open invitation for an influx of illegal immigrants to come across the U.S. border.”
Another Republican, Senator Graham, issued a statement after Biden signed the executive order, saying that Biden’s order would lead to “disaster. “In just a few weeks, President Biden has withdrawn the Trump Administration‘s efforts to spend years stopping illegal immigration. Refusing to continue building the border wall and changing the Trump administration’s asylum policy that requires immigrants to wait in Mexico for court sessions will lead to disaster, resulting in a mass exodus at the border.” Graham also noted that the Biden policy would weaken the bipartisan consensus immigration solution.
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