The Biden administration's recent decision to reverse its efforts to lift the immigration rate enraged both refugee advocates and Democrats, who accused the president of breaking his pledge.
Sen. Richard Durbin responded to the reports via Twitter on Friday, saying, "President Joe, say it ain't so. This is completely inappropriate." Raising the migrant quotas is one of at least five pledges on immigration made by President Joe Biden during his campaign, which he reiterated as president-elect. These promises have yet to be met as Biden's first 100 days draw close. Here are five major immigration promises Biden made, as per the NBC News:
What are the immigration pledges Biden has not fulfilled yet
- Reunite separated migrant families: Biden was asked during the final presidential debate what he will do to reunite 545 children with their parents after the Trump administration separated them in 2017 and 2018. Biden promised to form a task force to get them together. According to attorneys for the family, despite the task force's formation and commitment to reunite deported parents with their children, none of the deported parents have been reunited with their children.
- Increase refugee rate: As a leader, Biden pledged to increase the annual refugee resettlement quota from the Trump administration's record lows to 125,000. After taking office, the Biden administration stated that the target will be met in 2022, starting in October and that 62,500 people will be accepted this fiscal year.
- End migrant family detentions: "Children should be freed from ICE custody with their parents immediately," Biden tweeted during his presidential campaign. "A detention facility is not where a family belongs," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in March when asked if he agreed. Shortly after, the Biden administration announced in a court filing that it would stop the practice of detaining migrant parents and children seeking asylum. Still, as a senior official told NBC News, ICE later walked it back "We are not going to abolish family detention. The family detention facilities will not be closed."
- Hold previous administration accountable: Biden dubbed the Trump administration's method of separating migrant families "criminal" during his time as a presidential candidate. "There will be a systematic, thorough investigation into who is responsible and whether or not the responsibility is illegal," he said after the presidential transition. If it has been completed, the Attorney General will render the decision. However, no such review has been initiated to date.
- Stop building the border wall: Biden halted border wall building and land acquisition at the start of his administration to allow for a 60-day review of Trump's border wall. The reviews were given to determine how the money set aside for the wall should be diverted. More than 30 days have passed since the 60-day mark was reached with no results.
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Biden's unforced immigration errors loom large
President Joe Biden likes to blame former President Donald Trump for exacerbating border conflicts, but his most recent troubles are entirely his and his team's fault, Washington Examiner reported. Last week, liberal Democrats chastised Biden for seeming to backtrack on a campaign pledge to accept more refugees.
Hours later, he seemed to give in to political criticism from the left, but a key White House spokesperson denied Biden caved, claiming opponents misunderstood the White House's plans. On Saturday, Biden undermined his closest officials by referring to the migrant problem at the southern border as a "crisis," a term his administration had tried to restrain. As Biden reaches his 100th day in office, his presidency will be judged for its haphazard approach to the immigration crisis, including a slew of unforced errors.
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President Biden's decision to restart border wall construction, as demonstrated by the latest acquisition of a family's property for construction, contradicts his election promise to voters. Also, it seeks to undermine immigration legislation by succumbing to nativists' framing of the issue, which characterizes immigration with crime and immigration compliance with public safety.
The wall is a powerful image that shapes collective perceptions of the border and the stories we tell about it. Former President Trump used it to inflame anti-immigrant feelings, and Democrats initially used it to oppose him. Most Democrats, though, have returned to their long-standing support for the wall, as per the LA Times.
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