Plans to Reunite Families and Review “Remain in Mexico” Policy
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Photo Credit: Law888
President Biden took additional steps this week to address current U.S. immigration policies.
Through a series of three executive orders, he called for reviews of current policy, planning for the future, and recommendations for changes to several policies:
1. Family Separation at the Border
President Biden signed an executive order to create a task force to reunite families that were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border during the “zero tolerance” policy of the Trump Administration. The goals of the task force will be to identify the children who were separated from their parents under the “zero tolerance” policy and to make recommendations regarding how those children might be reunited with their parents, as well as how family separation can be avoided in the future.
2. The “Remain in Mexico” Policy for Asylum-Seekers
President Biden also signed an executive order calling for a review of the Migration Protection Protocols, known to many as the “remain in Mexico” policy created under President Trump. The Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will not enroll any more migrants in the program, and the executive order instructs the new head of DHS, Alejandro Mayorkas, to review the issues created by the current policy, including a large backlog of cases.
3. Review of Policies that have Created Barriers to Immigration
The third new executive order calls for a review of current policies and guidelines which may create barriers to individuals applying for green cards or U.S. citizenship. It also orders a review of the “public charge” rule, under which officials could deny green cards to applicants who had used certain public assistance programs or might be likely to do so in the future.
It is important to note that these latest announcements do not make changes to the existing law, but rather call for agencies to conduct reviews and make recommendations for future changes. Immigrant rights groups and advocates should continue to monitor policy recommendations and push not only for reviews and planning but also concrete changes to policies and laws.
If you would like more information about the recent executive orders, additional details may be found in the following articles:
If you or someone you know is in need of immigration representation and would like to schedule a consultation with attorney Brittan or Mary Beth, please call our office at (425) 374-1681.
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