WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Biden administration today sent lawmakers an immigration reform proposal that seeks to address some of the punitive policies put in place by the previous administration and to move forward on long-needed reforms.
The proposal recognizes the need to provide a pathway to legalization for millions of undocumented immigrants, to restore refugee admissions, and to ensure young immigrants currently authorized to work and live in the U.S. under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals can remain in this country.
Please attribute the following statement in response to the Biden proposal to Andrea Senteno, regional counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
“The last four years were defined by despicable policy driven by Donald Trump and his white nationalist agenda. But today, with President Biden’s first day in office, we look forward as a nation to rebuilding our communities and progressing toward a better future.
“President Biden’s Day 1 proposal to address the 11 million undocumented immigrants that reside in the U.S., the majority of whom are Latino, and to allow family members to be reunited more quickly and efficiently in the U.S. is a promising first step. Now we must get down to work. Congress and the President must work together to pass and enact bold immigration legislation that provides people the opportunity to naturalize and to be reunited with their families and communities. There can be no compromises that increase the use of detention and deportation that further devastate Latino and immigrant communities.
“MALDEF looks forward to working together with President Biden and Congress to seize this moment and transform this promise of a better future for our communities into a reality.”