By Prema Roddam

President Joe Biden signed six immigration executive orders and memoranda during his first day in office on January 20, 2021. These orders overturn numerous Trump-era immigration policies, including ending the travel ban for nationals of certain countries, construction of the US-Mexico border wall, protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, and more.

President Biden overturned Trump administration policies during his first day in office, including:

• Preserving and strengthening the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program after Trump attempted to end the program. President Biden also requested Congress to create a pathway to permanent residency and United States citizenship for DACA recipients. DACA provides deportation deferral and work authorization for individuals who arrived in the United States as children without lawful immigration status.
• Overturning policy that broadened the authority of government agents to find and deport unauthorized immigrants without prioritization. DHS will put certain deportations on hold for 100 days and implement interim civil enforcement policies. The Biden administration will return to Obama-era policy which prioritized removing undocumented immigrants who were convicted of serious crimes, those who posed a threat to national security, and recent unauthorized border crossers.
• Ending the travel ban blocking nationals from 13 countries, many of them African and/or Muslim-majority countries. President Biden also directed the State Department to process visas for individuals from the affected countries and develop plans to address the harm caused to them because of the ban.
• Immediate termination of construction on the US-Mexico border wall. Government officials will develop a plan to redirect funds.
• Reinstating protection from deportation and providing work authorization to Liberians living in the US under the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) program through June 30, 2022.
• Revoking the Trump administration’s plan to exclude non-citizens from the census.

Conclusion

Our team will closely watch the development of new immigration policies under the Biden administration. For help with case-specific questions, please contact your trusted Chugh, LLP attorney.