On his first day in office, President-elect Joe Biden will propose a sweeping overhaul of the country's immigration laws, while also addressing the reasons why people migrate, The Washington Post reports.
Biden's legislative proposal will include an eight-year pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants; the expansion of refugee admissions; and a security plan that deploys technology to the border, at and between ports of entry.
To qualify for the pathway to citizenship, a person must have been in the U.S. as of Jan. 1, several transition officials told the Post. Eligible immigrants will be placed in a temporary status for five years, and after meeting requirements like passing a background check, they will receive a green card. They will be able to apply for citizenship three years later. Undocumented immigrants who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and temporary protected status programs would be able to immediately apply for a green card.
Whether it's due to economic insecurity or safety concerns, "ultimately, you cannot solve problems of migration unless you attack the root causes of what causes that migration," one transition official said, adding that Biden "knows that in particular is the case in Central America." Read more at The Washington Post.