BOSTON – MIRA is expressing gratitude to President Joe Biden today for making the wellbeing of immigrants and refugees a day one priority. Today, President Biden will reverse President Trump’s plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from the Census reapportionment count, preserve and fortify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), reverse President Trump’s travel ban on Muslim-majority countries, repeal President Trump’s Executive Order that directed harsh and extreme immigration enforcement, stop border wall construction, extend the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) designation for Liberians, and improve access to safety net programs and resources for families of all backgrounds, including reducing language barriers.
President Biden will also send a bill to Congress providing a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants without legal status in the United States and has committed to a range of other immigration reforms in his first 100 days.
“After four years of sustained attacks on our immigrant and refugee communities, we can breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate that President Joe Biden has made the wellbeing of immigrants and refugees a day one priority,” said Eva Millona, President and CEO of the MIRA Coalition. “Finally, we can ensure that everyone is counted in the Census and represented in Congress, those who have been separated from their loved ones because of President Trump’s xenophobic Muslim ban can be reunited, and those who have lived in constant fear of deportation can find hope in the prospect of securing a path to legalization. These actions are economically and politically responsible, and essential for an inclusive COVID-19 recovery. MIRA urges Congress to pass President Biden’s bill and act on other opportunities to advance immigration reform immediately.
“However, there is still much work to be done. The Trump Administration enacted more than 400 immigration policy changes, and our system was dysfunctional far before President Trump ever took office. MIRA remains committed to working with the Biden Administration and advocating for a long-term commitment to enacting policies that realign our immigration system with our long-cherished values of justice for all, dignity, equality, inclusion, and respect for human rights.
“This is a new day for our nation. The pain and suffering of the past will not suddenly disappear, but today we can begin to move forward, together. Inclusion unites us.”
In addition to the actions President Biden plans to take today, MIRA’s federal policy agenda includes: ensuring COVID-19 relief includes all communities, restoring protections and due process for asylum seekers, increasing the refugee resettlement number, ending harmful enforcement practices, embracing alternatives to detention, disentangling state and local police from immigration enforcement, rescinding the public charge “wealth test” on new green card holders, creating a White House office focused on immigrant integration, passing the New Deal for New Americans, and reducing barriers to citizenship.
###