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AILA Immigration Fact Sheet

January 28, 2021

On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued several executive orders rescinding Trump-era immigration policies and reaffirming the United States’ commitment to immigrants.  We previously summarized those orders here, and now the American Immigration Lawyers Association has created a one-page fact sheet describing those executive  orders.  We are sharing that fact sheet below.  As the changes to the immigration system under the Biden Administration become more clear, our attorneys and staff are ready and available to assist you and your family or business. We expect more executive orders on immigration to be announced shortly.

HOW HAS PRESIDENT BIDEN CHANGED IMMIGRATION?

Among the changes are:

• Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) remains in place. Deportations* were paused for 100 days (starting January 22), with some exceptions, and new enforcement policies will be adopted.
• Travel bans** barring entry for nationals of certain Muslim-majority and African nations were revoked.
• Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) protection was extended for Liberian nationals until June 30, 2022.
• Enrollments in the Migrant Protection Protocols that keep asylum seekers waiting in Mexico were suspended — but it is unclear how cases will be handled at the border.

* On Jan. 26, a district court temporarily prevented the government from implementing the 100-day pause.

** The travel bans applied to nationals from Burma, Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Nigeria, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela, and Yemen.

NOTE: This situation remains fluid and policies can shift rapidly.

WILL CONGRESS PASS AN IMMIGRATION BILL?

President Biden has proposed a sweeping immigration bill that would make more people eligible for legal status. AILA will be advocating for Congress to pass this bill and other bills that improve the U.S. immigration system. At this time, Congress has not passed any immigration bill into law. This means that no new options to apply for legal status have been created, and no broad legalization program has been adopted.

Although there have been many announcements with promised changes, many of them will take time to be implemented. Policies, rules, and laws will need to be put in place first. This means you may not see an immediate impact or be able to access new benefits in the short term.

HOW QUICKLY WILL CHANGE OCCUR?

Although there have been many announcements with promised changes, many of them will take time to be implemented. Policies, rules, and laws will need to be put in place first. This means you may not see an immediate impact or be able to access new benefits in the short term.

WHAT IS OUR OFFICE DOING?

We are closely monitoring these changes and we encourage you to contact our firm with any questions or concerns.

TAGS: Executive Order, President Biden