Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States on January 20, 2021, and was sworn in alongside Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Following the inauguration ceremony, US president Joe Biden got officially right to work. Following to have the right to work, President Biden signed several executive orders, including immigration issues from the border wall to Muslim travel ban.
The actions range in significance; however, a couple stand out. The executive order regarding immigration will be briefly discussed here.
Although the former president Trump said that he aimed to prevent all immigration into the United States, but he could not accomplish that. Over Trump’s presidency, he managed to radically change US immigration policy.
Among other several policies, Trump attempted to reverse DACA. For that, he allocated $15 billion to build a wall at the US border with Mexico in order to keep undocumented immigrants out. He also aimed to weaken the rules that allow qualified immigrants to enter a lottery to get an H-1B visa. He also prohibited several countries’ citizens from obtaining most types of American visas to enter the US. One dramatic thing President Trump did was that he separated children from their families when they arrived at the border with the asylum-seeking purpose.
President Biden said he will sign an executive order revoking Trump’s immigration policies. In an announcement made by the White House, it was said that the president-elect will sign a Presidential Memorandum to extend until June 30, 2022, the long-standing Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) designation for Liberians who have been in the United States for many years. Liberians with DED will also have their work authorization extended. This PM also directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that Citizen Immigration Services facilitates ease of application and timely adjudication for Liberians applying for residency by the Liberian Relief and Fairness Act.
The construction of the border wall
President Biden will direct the Department of Homeland Security to develop an alternative immigration policy with the aim of stopping the border wall’s construction.
President Biden is to reverse the Muslim ban
On the same announcement, it was said that the president-elect will sign an Executive Action putting an end to the Muslim Ban, a policy rooted in religious animus and xenophobia. It was highlighted that this is an important step in providing relief to individuals and families harmed by the previous policies that are inconsistent with American values.
He is to repeal of former administration’s interior enforcement executive order
The announcement says that President Biden will sign an Executive Order revoking a Trump Executive Order that directed harsh and extreme immigration enforcement. This revocation aims to allow the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies to set civil immigration enforcement policies that best protect the American people and are in line with American values and priorities.