Biden will unveil a massive immigration reform plan right after his inauguration
Ahead of President Biden's Wednesday inauguration, his incoming team unveiled the details of a massive immigration reform bill he'll bring to Congress before the day ends. It includes a path to citizenship for undocumented people and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, as well as provisions that are meant to address Central American migration in the first place.
Biden had promised to reverse former President Donald Trump's restrictionist immigration agenda as soon as he stepped into office. And while it will take time to completely unravel Trump's web of executive orders, Biden will sign at least a dozen of his own orders as soon as he arrives in the White House Wednesday evening, NBC News reports. Those orders include stopping construction of Trump's southern border wall and a repeal of his Muslim travel ban.
Also on Wednesday, Biden will present Congress with his immigration reform bill that will propose an eight-year path to citizenship, allowing millions of undocumented immigrants in the country as of Jan. 1 to quickly apply for temporary legal status. They'll be granted a green card after passing certain requirements, and after three years of legal permanent residency, will be allowed to apply for citizenship, The Washington Post reports. Meanwhile a proposed increase of aid to Central American countries is meant to repair economic conditions that drive people to immigrate to America in the first place. Also proposed is a major increase in refugee admissions, a program that will reunite Central Americans and their U.S. citizen relatives, and a pivot to using technology to curb illegal border crossings instead of a physical wall.
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During the 2020 race, Biden faced criticism and questions over the Obama administration's record deportations and failure to overhaul America's immigration system. This day-one proposal seems to show Biden wants to address those shortcomings as soon as possible.
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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
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