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By America’s Voice
Washington, DC — Numerous press reports are highlighting the details of the expected border and asylum executive order set to be announced by the Biden administration later today. The following is a statement from Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, previewing today’s executive order announcement and larger implications:
“Yes, our immigration system is broken, and yes, we need an orderly and safe border. However, the American public has made it clear they want a broader, commonsense set of solutions beyond the enforcement-only particulars of today’s executive order announcement. Alongside support for border security, this also includes policies to facilitate legal and orderly immigration and legalize and support long-settled immigrants who strengthen America every day (see a detailed public opinion analysis from America’s Voice here). As a result, today’s announcement is a missed opportunity to address the full scope of Americans’ broader set of immigration priorities.
While the administration has rightly put its focus on trying to incentivize migration channeled through ports of entry – not in between – we need greater investment in ports of entry so that more migrants can use them as an option via the cell phone app and greater staffing. The Biden administration also should increase the number of appointments available via the CBP One app and continue to stand up for humanitarian parole and other legal pathways that create new paths to safety while reducing border pressures. Instead, the focus of today’s announcement is on blocking the ability of eligible migrants to request asylum depending on where along the U.S. border they request it.
We look forward to the next steps for the Biden Administration that should go well beyond the border to broaden the focus to policies that support legal entry and legalize or provide temporary status to long-established and hard-working immigrants such as Dreamers, TPS holders, and mixed-status family members and spouses of U.S. citizens.
The American people strongly back policies for deeply rooted immigrants – for example, a March Wall Street Journal poll found 74% support for a pathway to citizenship for long-settled undocumented immigrants: the single most popular of eight immigration policies tested. Those popular and long overdue policies would require the U.S. Congress to act over the objections of the nativists who oppose bipartisan action and have blocked reform for decades.
In the face of anti-immigrant extremism and Donald Trump and Stephen Miller’s plans to deploy the military to round up and mass deport immigrants, including Dreamers, we hope and expect the Biden Administration will follow today’s announcement with affirmative relief measures that lean into contrasts with Trump’s dystopian vision and deliver meaningful policy relief in the process.”