FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Tuesday, February 2, 2021

MEDIA CONTACT:
Center for Popular Democracy
press@populardemocracy.org
 

New York, NY — Today, President Biden issued executive orders to undo some of the last administration’s most harmful immigration policies.  We commend the administration for starting to lay the groundwork to rebuild and improve our country’s asylum system and reunite families separated at the border.  We will never forget the horror of watching children being torn apart from their families and kept in cages; those images made the inhumanity of our current immigration systems undeniable and drove thousands to the streets to demand justice.  

We also welcome President Biden’s executive order directing immediate review of the public charge rule, a “wealth test” for green cards, and other policies that created barriers to legal immigration.  The public charge rule has had a chilling effect on immigrants’ access to healthcare and other critical services, which has been particularly devastating during the COVID-19 crisis when an estimated five million immigrants have been putting their lives at risk as essential workers.  In addition to the public charge rule, the previous administration erected many other barriers to already-existing pathways to lawful status that caused uncertainty for many immigrants and their families.  We are heartened by this administration’s commitment to reverse these damaging policies.

While these executive actions are critical to start undoing some of the last administration’s most harmful policies, much is needed to transform our immigration system to one defined by dignity and respect.  The time is now for the Biden-Harris administration and Congress to take bold, transformative action to achieve immigrant justice.  A swift and inclusive pathway to citizenship--including for the five million undocumented essential workers and their families--and the transformation of our immigration system is not only the right thing to do, but also necessary to ensure that the United States can emerge from the COVID-19 public health and economic crises.  

The Center for Popular Democracy and its network are committed to working with the administration to achieve the just and welcoming immigration system we deserve. 
 

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The Center for Popular Democracy is a national network of more than 50 community organizations dedicated to achieving racial and economic justice through local grassroots organizing. CPD trains and supports leadership, staff, and members to grow base-building organizations to scale and leverage that strength to win cutting-edge policy victories at the federal, state and local level.
www.populardemocracy.org