Biden Has Made Limited Changes to Immigration Policy
2021-12-31
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1As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden criticized the administration of then-president Donald Trump for its immigration policies.
2Biden also promised to pass reforms to permit more asylum-seekers and refugees.
3However, Biden's immigration policies in 2021 have not changed too much from those of the earlier administration.
4The biggest change was that Biden stopped building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
5The Biden administration has kept enforcing what is called Title 42.
6That law requires the quick removal of migrants as a public health concern.
7Biden also tried to change a policy that required asylum-seekers at the southern border to stay in Mexico while waiting for U.S. immigration court dates.
8But a federal court ruled that the law, called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), must stay in place.
9Immigrant supporters say Biden has made the U.S immigration system kinder.
10But they credit him with little else.
11Fernando Garcia is director of the Border Network for Human Rights.
12He told VOA that "we can still see some of the kind of legacy of Trump at the border.
13That has not changed and we're disappointed that that is still happening."
14In addition to stopping border wall construction Biden ordered an end to the stay-in-Mexico policy soon after entering office.
15Texas, a U.S. state bordering Mexico, took legal action against the Biden administration to keep the policy.
16In August, a federal judge ordered the policy to remain in place.
17The Biden administration is appealing the ruling.
18But the policy was restarted on December 6 after Mexico agreed to receive returned migrants.
19The Biden administration has sought to end the MPP policy, but it has observed Title 42 rules related to public health.
20Since March 20, 2020, thousands of migrants seeking to apply for asylum in the United States have been sent back to their home countries.
21But there have been some changes to Title 42 under Biden to permit unaccompanied children and families with young children to stay.
22Former President Trump reduced the number of refugees permitted in the U.S. from 85,000 to 15,000.
23Biden at first kept the refugee limit at 15,000, the lowest in modern U.S. history.
24After many Democrats criticized the decision, the administration raised the limit to 62,500.
25From October 2020 to the end of September, the U.S. has admitted just 11,411 refugees.
26The administration has since raised the 2022 refugee limit to 125,000.
27But the administration has said the "goal [of 125,000 admissions] will be hard to hit."
28Researchers say little has changed in federal border enforcement.
29Jessica Bolter is an expert with the Migration Policy Institute.
30She said the Biden administration is centered on removing undocumented immigrants that are a threat to public safety.
31During the Trump administration, any undocumented immigrant living in the U.S. could be removed.
32Bolter said the change has made most immigrants who do not have legal papers to be living in the U.S. less likely to be removed.
33The Biden administration has worked to prevent Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers from making arrests at courthouses.
34Biden has also limited detentions of pregnant women.
35After more than a year of closures, U.S. embassies and consulates around the world have reopened for visa processing.
36However, services remain limited because of the pandemic.
37In November, the U.S. State Department announced that more than 460,000 people are awaiting required meetings with officials.
38There is already a long list of those applying to live in the U.S. legally.
39On his first day in office, President Biden released an immigration reform bill: the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021.
40It includes an eight-year path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
41The bill has never been voted on by either the U.S. House or Senate.
42It is not expected to pass.
43Since the Democratic Party controls the presidency and Congress, the inability to reform America's immigration system is hard to accept for immigration activists.
44"Our hope, our demand and our expectation were that this new administration was bringing a new air in regard to immigrants and immigration policy with a more humane approach to immigration, and we did believe that," Garcia, from Border Network for Human Rights, told VOA.
45I'm Dan Novak
1As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden criticized the administration of then-president Donald Trump for its immigration policies. Biden also promised to pass reforms to permit more asylum-seekers and refugees. 2However, Biden's immigration policies in 2021 have not changed too much from those of the earlier administration. The biggest change was that Biden stopped building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. 3The Biden administration has kept enforcing what is called Title 42. That law requires the quick removal of migrants as a public health concern. Biden also tried to change a policy that required asylum-seekers at the southern border to stay in Mexico while waiting for U.S. immigration court dates. But a federal court ruled that the law, called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), must stay in place. 4Immigrant supporters say Biden has made the U.S immigration system kinder. But they credit him with little else. 5Fernando Garcia is director of the Border Network for Human Rights. He told VOA that "we can still see some of the kind of legacy of Trump at the border. That has not changed and we're disappointed that that is still happening." 6US-Mexico border and asylum seekers 7In addition to stopping border wall construction Biden ordered an end to the stay-in-Mexico policy soon after entering office. 8Texas, a U.S. state bordering Mexico, took legal action against the Biden administration to keep the policy. In August, a federal judge ordered the policy to remain in place. 9The Biden administration is appealing the ruling. But the policy was restarted on December 6 after Mexico agreed to receive returned migrants. 10The Biden administration has sought to end the MPP policy, but it has observed Title 42 rules related to public health. 11Since March 20, 2020, thousands of migrants seeking to apply for asylum in the United States have been sent back to their home countries. But there have been some changes to Title 42 under Biden to permit unaccompanied children and families with young children to stay. 12Refugees 13Former President Trump reduced the number of refugees permitted in the U.S. from 85,000 to 15,000. 14Biden at first kept the refugee limit at 15,000, the lowest in modern U.S. history. After many Democrats criticized the decision, the administration raised the limit to 62,500. From October 2020 to the end of September, the U.S. has admitted just 11,411 refugees. 15The administration has since raised the 2022 refugee limit to 125,000. But the administration has said the "goal [of 125,000 admissions] will be hard to hit." 16Enforcement goals 17Researchers say little has changed in federal border enforcement. 18Jessica Bolter is an expert with the Migration Policy Institute. She said the Biden administration is centered on removing undocumented immigrants that are a threat to public safety. During the Trump administration, any undocumented immigrant living in the U.S. could be removed. 19Bolter said the change has made most immigrants who do not have legal papers to be living in the U.S. less likely to be removed. 20The Biden administration has worked to prevent Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers from making arrests at courthouses. Biden has also limited detentions of pregnant women. 21Legal immigration 22After more than a year of closures, U.S. embassies and consulates around the world have reopened for visa processing. However, services remain limited because of the pandemic. 23In November, the U.S. State Department announced that more than 460,000 people are awaiting required meetings with officials. There is already a long list of those applying to live in the U.S. legally. 24Immigration legislation slowed 25On his first day in office, President Biden released an immigration reform bill: the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. It includes an eight-year path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. 26The bill has never been voted on by either the U.S. House or Senate. It is not expected to pass. 27Since the Democratic Party controls the presidency and Congress, the inability to reform America's immigration system is hard to accept for immigration activists. 28"Our hope, our demand and our expectation were that this new administration was bringing a new air in regard to immigrants and immigration policy with a more humane approach to immigration, and we did believe that," Garcia, from Border Network for Human Rights, told VOA. 29I'm Dan Novak 30Aline Barros reported this story for Voice of America. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 31_________________________________________________ 32Words in This Story 33legacy - n. something that comes from someone in the past that affects the present 34construction -n. the process of building something 35unaccompanied - adj. alone; without someone else 36undocumented - adj. not having the official documents that are needed to enter, live in, or work in a country legally 37apply- v. to formally ask for a position or privilege such as admission to a school, a job or to legally live in a country 38humane- adj. kind or gentle to others