In the first days of Joe Biden’s stay at the White House, one of his plans is to move quickly in undoing the Trump administration’s most cherished agenda items.
According to immigration rights activists who have seen Joe Biden’s plans, one of his first agendas is introducing a bill that would allow 11 million illegal immigrants to become permanent residents of the United States and give them the right to pursue citizenship after an eight-year wait.
POLITICO: Biden has said he plans to ‘immediately’ introduce an immigration bill after taking office on Wednesday. And top Latino and immigrant advocacy groups who’ve seen details of the coming package said they were stunned by the boldness of Biden’s plan. pic.twitter.com/4FSdRJ6jOd
— Harold P. Benson (@HaroldPBenson1) January 16, 2021
It is also expected for Biden to issue an immediate executive order. This would extend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program or DACA, which would protect young people from deportation if they were brought into the country as children. The immigration rights activists also said that Biden plans to implement this new order in place during his tenure as the President or for another four years.
On January 8, President-elect Joe Biden told reporters, “I will introduce an immigration bill immediately.”
Biden’s plans to implement these new rules would reduce five years off the 13-year delay that is required under the current regulations.
The Los Angeles Times also reported that the bill would not try to gain Republican support by means linking the changes to the border-security or enforcement measures. This move is a sharp contrast from the past compromise attempts by the previous administration.
Joe Biden plans to introduce immigration bill 'immediately': reports https://t.co/qh3K7F0gvf via @nypost @POTUS @RudyGiuliani @POTUS Giving away $ to people that can work, making 11M illegals US citizens. Opening up boarders, & printing $ with no value. 1929 here we come!
— NYC Street Views (@StreetNyc) January 17, 2021
Hector Sanchez Barba told Politico that this plan of Joe Biden makes it “the most aggressive agenda that I have seen on immigration reform from day one.”
Meanwhile, GOP strategist Ryan Girdusky told the New York Post that it is hard to see how any Republican jumps on board. However, this is likely just the opening offer of the administration.
Girdusky said, “they’re obviously going to start making concessions to win over senators like Lindsay Graham and Ben Sasse.”
The transition officials of Biden did not respond to The Post when they requested for comment.
Meanwhile, Republicans say that some of the most controversial items on the wish list of Democrats’ will only deepen that division that is already happening. Girdusky noted, “these are not the actions of anyone trying to unify this country.”
“In an effort to mark a clean break from the Trump era, the president-elect plans to roll out dozens of executive orders in his first 10 days on top of a big stimulus plan and an expansive immigration bill.”https://t.co/V9bxyuj1Tv
— Andrew Weinstein (@Weinsteinlaw) January 16, 2021
According to a memo from the incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, Biden is preparing to sign more than 10 executive orders in his first day in office. Included in this order is the move that will allow the country to rejoin the Paris climate accord and cancel the ongoing travel ban on some of the major Muslim countries that the previous administration imposed.
In addition to this, Joe Biden will also sign executive orders that will stop evictions and defer student loan payments during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Accordingly, he will also issue a mask mandate on all federal property to stop the virus’s spread.
Klein wrote in the memo, “during the campaign, President-elect Biden pledged to take immediate action to start addressing these crises and build back better.” He added, “As president, he will keep those promises and sign dozens of executive orders, presidential memoranda, and directives to Cabinet agencies in fulfillment of the promises he made.”
This coming Thursday, Joe Biden will have his first full day in office as the United States president. He is expected to sign more executive orders related to coronavirus and order schools and businesses to reopen under the new federal health guidelines. In the following days, Biden will announce his plan to reunite families separated by federal law enforcement at the U.S. – Mexico border, uncover criminal justice reform proposals, and then announce his strategies to focus on battling climate change.
A day after he is inaugurated, the incoming chief of staff stated that Biden would also sign a number of executive actions that will move aggressively to change the course of the coronavirus crisis. According to Klain, this includes “taking action to mitigate spread through expanding testing, protecting workers, and establishing clear public health standards.”
Klain also added that “these actions will change the course of Covid 19, combat climate change, promote racial equity and support other underserved communities, and rebuild our economy in ways that strengthen the backbone of this country: the working men and women who built our nation.”
