In October 2021, the New York Times reported that more than 5,500 children had been separated from their parents at the U.S. border. Earlier this year, the new administration created a task force to reunite immigrant families. Below we explain how President Biden’s executive orders on immigration want to reunite separated families.
The New Immigration System
The new administration hopes to reverse a number of policies that limit access to asylum seekers at the border and make it difficult for immigrants to become U.S. citizens. The Biden administration believes that this will help reunite families since parents and children can request asylum together. However, the new orders don’t bring immediate change to the immigration policy that separates families.
Making Changes to the Asylum-Seeking Process
The Biden administration states that they are taking strategic action to assess the damage done by the policies put in place by the Trump administration. The Trump administration put strict guidelines on those who wanted to seek asylum in the United States because they believed that migrants were making fraudulent asylum claims to live and work in the U.S. while their claims were being processed.
However, the Biden administration disagrees and believes that the best strategy is to address the “root causes.” For such reasons, President Biden proposed a $4 billion aid package for Central America to help combat the poverty and violence that leads people to migrate.
Helping Families After Reunion
The administration also states that they want to develop a strategy to help families once they are reunited. For example, they want to give eligible parents a legal pathway to return to the United States. However, they didn’t specify if parents who have been deported will get the opportunity to reenter the U.S.
Immigration laws are constantly changing. For such reasons, you need an experienced attorney on your side if you are trying to reunite with your loved ones. Contact our Miami immigration attorneys today at (305) 858-2323 to learn how we can help you!