One of the main campaign platforms of President-Elect Joe Biden is to reform the immigration law and make it fair and humane to all immigrants. He said that he will restore the progress that Trump has cruelly undone and will take it further.
Foremost on his list is to reinstate Deferred Action on Childhood Arrival (DACA) or protections for Dreamers – the young immigrants who were brought to the United States when they were young and who have fallen out of status without their fault. In 2012, President Obama issued an Executive Order creating the DACA, giving certain eligible Dreamers protection from deportation and allowing them to receive employment authorization documents.
In 2017 Trump rescinded the DACA program. The U.S.Supreme Court ruled in June 2020 that Trump’s termination of DACA is unlawful. Instead of following the Supreme Court order, USCIS still does not accept initial applications of DACA. President-Elect Biden will now change this and restore DACA fully so that young immigrants will once again have the protection against removal or deportation and be able to work legally.
Aside from DACA, there are other immigration policies that will affect immigrants including the Filipinos in the United States.
First, I can foresee the revival of the exercise of discretion when applying the law, that more human and compassionate approach will be taken. Priorities for enforcement will be modified where family unity and NOT family separation will be the center factor for enforcement policies.
Second, I foresee a more efficient operation of the immigration agencies, hoping to see less unnecessary delays in the adjudication of visa petitions and applications.
Third, a Biden administration supports a comprehensive immigration act giving a pathway to legalize all 11 million undocumented, a population who had fallen through the cracks because of broken immigration law. But comprehensive immigration requires bi-partisan support. As of now there are still contested seats at the Senate which will determine whether Republicans or Democrats will have full control of Congress.
Nonetheless, it is victory for most of us immigrants to have a President who believes in us immigrants, a President who will uphold values of family unity, restoring the dignity of each and every one of us immigrants. For after all, the United States is a nation of immigrants.
