President Biden: Honor Your Commitments to Immigrant and Migrant Communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 2, 2021

CONTACT:
Fernanda Durand | (214) 402-0186 | [email protected]
Nancy Treviño | (786) 201-8958 | [email protected]

Immigrant communities eagerly await tangible changes that can improve their lives

The following is a joint statement from Presente.org and Alianza Americas:

CHICAGO – Today, President Joe Biden signed a series of immigration executive orders in a move to address our broken, hate-based immigration system. While we welcome these human rights affirming orders, we call on President Biden to stay true to his campaign promises and be the leader we need on immigration.

For immigrant families who have been at the receiving end of hateful policies, every day going without change is one day too many. While we understand the need for task forces and commission to carefully study the best ways to leave behind exclusionary, restrictive, and punitive procedures and policies, it is important to move swiftly when it comes to tangibly helping immigrant families, as well as those seeking protection and safety from different forms of violence. Furthermore, the administration should keep working with Congress to pass legislation that prioritizes protecting immigrant and migrant communities, including families who are currently being deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“What our country witnessed over the past four years is proof that our nation’s immigration system is in desperate need of repair. It is up to the Biden-Harris administration and Congress to provide safety to immigrant communities and implement policies that provide real relief and steady support to people whose lives have been harmed and ignored for far too long,” states Matt Nelson, executive director of Presente.org.

“Immigrant workers continue to be on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many risking their lives every day to service our nation and keep the American economy going. The time is now to ensure permanent protections for them and their families,” said Oscar Chacón, executive director of Alianza Americas. 

Together, Presente.org and Alianza Americas have called upon the Biden-Harris administration to prioritize immigrant families in its first 100 days and will continue to affirm and defend our communities’ human rights. Furthermore, we urge President Biden and his administration to take the following necessary steps:

• Terminate all third-country agreements and all other Trump-era asylum rules and regulations immediately, as they violate our commitment to human rights and the international protection system.
• Ensure immediate processing and entry to migrants harmed by Migrant Protection Protocols and other exclusionary practices, such as metering. This will begin to address the harm caused by these programs and ensure compliance with international and domestic law by allowing those fleeing persecution an opportunity to apply for protection.
• Rescind the Trump administration’s inhumane public charge rules that targeted those most vulnerable as an important step to ensuring family unity.
• Increase the refugee quota in the U.S. to 125,000 and rebuild the resettlement program.

As we’ve stated before, now that the Democratic party holds power in the White House, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate, it’s imperative that the human rights of migrant communities are affirmed and upheld.

“The harm inflicted on thousands of families who were separated and tortured by U.S. immigration authorities will have life-long repercussions,” Chacón said. “At a minimum, families should be offered the opportunity to be reunited and settled in the U.S. as eventual permanent residents. This would be a way to begin to account for the injuries inflicted upon so many for decades.”

You can find our full immigration policy priorities for the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris administration here.

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Presente.org is the nation’s largest online Latinx organizing group — and the nation’s premier Latinx digital organizing hub — advancing social justice with technology, media, and culture. Presente.org’s mission is to advance Latinx power and create winning campaigns that amplify Latinx voices; expand the political imagination and traditional boundaries; and foster inspiration for freedom, equity, and justice.

Alianza Americas is a network of migrant-led organizations working in the United States and transnationally to create an inclusive, equitable and sustainable way of life for communities across North, Central and South America.