One remarkable consequence of the Trump administration’s cruel immigration policies was that so many ordinary citizens showed up to mitigate them. Many of us protested against the “Muslim ban” and family separations, or drove parents across the country to reunite them with the children they had been separated from. Still others provided sanctuary for immigrants facing deportation orders despite their long-established, law-abiding lives in the United States. And all of these efforts were built upon the work of long-term activism by human rights groups, advocacy networks and faith-based groups.
President Biden has repealed the Muslim ban, reinstated the DACA program for Dreamers, addressed the terrible consequences of family separation and begun to explore alternatives to Mr. Trump’s harsh regulations on asylum seekers. He has begun the process of reviving the Central American Minors program, which will allow at-risk children to join their parents in the United States without having to make the perilous overland journey on their own. Under President Obama, this program succeeded in reducing the number of minors arriving at the US-Mexico border by giving them a viable alternative. Now, one of the most urgent tasks remaining is re-establishing and expanding our refugee resettlement program. (Read the full article)
[ Laurie Johnston | David Sulewski ]
