President Biden Introduces New Immigration Bill

Photo Credit: Richard Hanus

In a move celebrated by many immigrant advocates, President Biden has sent a new immigration reform bill to Congress.

The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 contains several exciting components, including:

- creating a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented people

- replacing the word “alien” with “non-citizen” in official documents

- raising per-country caps on family and employment-based immigration

- ending the 3 and 10-year penalties barring entry to the U.S. for certain immigrants

- improving the immigration courts

- supporting asylum seekers

- increasing diversity visas

- prioritizing keeping families together

- addressing the root causes of migration from Central America

- promoting integration and inclusion for immigrants and refugees 

While the proposed legislation is only that at this time – a proposal – it is a welcome sign that the Biden Administration is serious about making immigration reform a priority.

The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 is set to be introduced in the House of Representatives by Linda Sanchez, a democrat from California, and in the Senate by Bob Menendez, a democrat from New Jersey. In its current form, the bill would require the support of at least 10 republican senators in order to defeat a filibuster in the Senate.

If this proposed legislation is not able to pass through both the House and the Senate, then the bill may be broken down into several smaller bills, allowing those items which contain widespread support to be passed into law.

Rest assured that we will be closely monitoring all developments related to this legislation and will inform our clients of any changes to the law which may affect their case.

If you are in need of representation for your immigration case, please contact our office at (425) 374-1681 to schedule a consultation with attorneys Brittan or Mary Beth.

Our attorneys have years of experience handling a wide variety of immigration matters and would be happy to support you in navigating the complexities of the U.S. immigration system.

Plans to Reunite Families and Review “Remain in Mexico” Policy

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:

The Washington Post

TIME

Politico

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.

For the protection of our clients and staff, consultations are available via telephone or video conferencing at this time.

Priorities in 2021: Ending Family Separation

Photo Credit: ACLU

As the year is drawing to a close and many people are considering the changes they want to see in 2021, we fully support placing the ending of family separation at the top of our nation’s list of priorities.

The time has come for the parents and children separated at the U.S. border as part of the Trump administration’s cruel deterrence tactics to finally be reunited. No child deserves to be taken away from their parent as part of their immigration process, and separating a child from their family should never be done for strategic or political reasons.

What is Family Separation?

Back in 2017, the Trump administration began separating parents and children who arrived at the U.S. border under a pilot program designed to deter immigration through harsher policies. Over 1,000 parents were separated from their children when they were processed by U.S. immigration officials.

In 2018, the Trump administration made the practice of family separation official, announcing a “zero tolerance” policy under which hundreds more parents were separated from their children after arriving in the United States. A U.S. District Judge later ordered that the children be reunited with their families, but by that time many of the parents separated under the pilot program had already been sent back to their country of origin, while their children remained in the United States.

Today, several hundred parents still have not been reunited with their children. Despite the official ending of the family separation policy, the consequences of these harmful actions remain. Many children have not been reunited with their parents and desperately wish to be with their mothers and fathers once again.

What Can I Do to Help?

Several legal advocacy groups and non-profit organizations have been working to help locate and reunite families affected by the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” pilot program. For more information about the reunification efforts and to take action to help the parents and children who were separated by U.S. immigration officials, follow these key organizations working on this issue:

The ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project:

https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights

Families Belong Together:

https://www.familiesbelongtogether.org/

Justice in Motion:

https://www.justiceinmotion.org/

If you have a family member who is a citizen of another country and would like to immigrate to the United States, or if you are an immigrant in need of legal advice or representation regarding your own case, please call our office at (425) 374-1681 to schedule a consultation.

Attorneys Brittan and Mary Beth are available via telephone or video conference and are ready to answer your questions about a wide variety of immigration applications and issues.