As the election begins to recede and the results are clear, it is now time to prepare ourselves for the advocacy work that lies ahead. The Biden campaign made many promises to immigrants and their allies; promises that we must hold him and his administration accountable for. Here is a brief list of the national level advocacy priorities you will see from us in the future.
1.) Family Separation
Joe Biden promised that, if elected, he would form a task force to reunify all children who were taken from their parents. This is an action he must take very early in his presidency. The policy and practice of family separation is a stain on our moral fabric. It must be rectified immediately.
2.) DACA
Biden has promised that, on day one, he would reinstate the DACA program that the Trump administration has continuously attempted to end. That is great news. But we must have a permanent solution that addresses DACA recipients and their families. We need to make sure that Biden keeps his promise, and that it doesn’t stop there.
3.) TPS for Venezuela and more
Biden promised that he would extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Venezuelans. TPS allows nationals of specific countries, present in the US, to stay here as long as their countries are deemed unsafe. Over the past four years, the TPS program has been systematically dismantled. Biden must extend TPS to Venezuelans, and restore TPS to all nationals of all unsafe countries.
These are just three issues we will continue to advocate for. Keep an eye out for more to come!