Promises Kept and Promises Broken: An Assessment of Biden’s First Year
As a candidate, President Biden spoke out forcefully against the cruelty, xenophobia, and racism against immigrants and other communities of color stirred by President Trump and other leaders. As president, President Biden from Day One made bold commitments to build an immigration system that is fair, humane, and that “welcomes immigrants, keeps families together, and allows people across the country – both newly arrived immigrants and people who have lived here for generations – to more fully contribute to this country.”
In this report, the We Are Home campaign assesses Biden’s Year One on immigration by looking at his most high-profile promises.
Promise Kept
- End workplace raids
Promises Kept, More Action Needed
- Reverse Trump’s public charge rule
- Rescind the un-American travel and refugee bans, also referred to as ‘Muslim bans.’
In Progress, Incomplete
- Expand protections for undocumented immigrants who report labor violations.
- Reset immigration enforcement
- Protect Dreamers and their families
- Create a process for deported veterans to come home and reunite with families in the U.S.
- Stop the inhumane practice of separating children from their parents and work to reunite families.
- “Aggressively advocate” for a pathway to citizenship.
- Review Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) decisions for vulnerable people in the U.S. “to ensure that no one is returned to a country that is not safe.”
No Progress
- End 287g agreements entered into by the Trump Administration and “aggressively limit” the use of 287g and similar programs “that force local law enforcement to take on the role of immigration enforcement.”
- Advance “equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity” across the whole of the Federal Government, as part of a commitment to healing and restoring unity.
Promise Broken
- “End for-profit detention” in the immigration system and “stop detaining people indefinitely.”
- “Restore our asylum system so that it once more offers protection and safe harbor to people fleeing dangers.”
Our communities can't wait any longer
The Biden-Harris Administration must keep its promises and work with Congress to deliver a path to citizenship, and it must use its executive authority to support and protect immigrant families and communities.