These are the immigration promises of Joe Biden, the new president-elect

By Andrea López-Cruzado

The five-day suspension is over: Democrat Joe Biden has been declared president-elect, America's 46th. 

The two great challenges that await the next government are 

However, there is a third issue that also deserves your urgent attention: immigration.

The hundreds of immigration policies established by Donald Trump in his four years in power have had devastating consequences for millions of people, not only in the United States, but also in Mexico, Central America and distant Asia and Africa.  

Repairing the damage done or reversing measures by the outgoing government will not be something that Biden can do overnight.

In fact, experts agree that the effects of Trump's policies will be felt for a long time to come. 

[Biden is the president-elect of the United States.

Trump does not admit defeat: "This election is far from over"]

Regardless, Biden has vowed to take action from his first day in the White House.

To "build a just and humane immigration system," his campaign designed a plan of more than 8,000 words that we review and condense below. 

During his first speech as president-elect, Joe Biden praised his vice president-elect,

to be elected on a presidential ballot in the United States. 

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Nov. 8, 202011: 27

"I have always believed that we can define America in one word: possibilities. In America everyone should have the opportunity to go as far as their dreams and God-given ability take them," Biden said Saturday night. in Delaware.

Some of Biden's immigration proposals will take longer than others to complete.

For example, he has offered to work with Congress to design a path that leads the nearly

The beneficiaries would be those who "register, are up to date with their taxes and have passed a background check."

It will also propose

(El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras) and that certain Central American children who seek to reunite with their families in the United States can request asylum or refugee status from their countries of origin.

These are things that Biden certainly won't be able to do alone, and it remains to be seen whether the new Republican-Democratic-split Congress will support his proposal.

Other of his proposals that will need the support of Congress address legal immigration:

• Temporary workers:

  reform temporary work visas so that their beneficiaries can change jobs, earn a fair wage and have the right to unionize. 

• Highly skilled workers:

  extend the number of visas for these workers. 

• Farmworkers:

  legalize those who have worked here for years first with a permanent residence and ultimately with citizenship. 

• Families:

  preserve the union of families by supporting legislation that treats "the spouse and children of people with a residence, or

  green card

  , as the immediate relatives that they are." 

• Employment Visas:

  Increase the number of permanent residence visas for employment and grant green cards to foreigners who graduate from doctorates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the United States.

• Victims of Domestic Violence:

  Triple the current limit of 10,000 U visas. 

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On the other hand, there are several actions around immigration that the president-elect plans to take in his first 100 days in the White House.

• Family Separation:

  Immediately reverse the separation of parents and children at the border, and end the prosecution of parents for minor immigration violations, as well as prioritize the reunification of children who are still separated from their families.

  In addition, prioritize the reunification of children who are still separated from their families and codify protections to safeguard the well-being of migrant children and move them to safe environments as soon as possible. 

• Asylum:

  ending the Migrant Protection Protocols, under which the Trump administration prevented tens of thousands of migrants seeking asylum from applying for that right, leaving them stranded in Mexico.

  Likewise, restore asylum laws, guarantee fair and efficient processes, and considerably increase resources to support migrants waiting at the border.

  Asylum will also be restored for victims of domestic violence and sexual violence. 

• Shelter:

  Raise the annual global refugee admission limit to 125,000 (Trump cut the number to a record low of 15,000). 

• Naturalization:

  Defending the naturalization process "by addressing the backlog of applications ... and ensuring that they are processed quickly, and rejecting the imposition of unreasonable fees."

  (In September, a judge stopped a scheduled fee increase that nearly doubles the cost of citizenship, from $ 640 to $ 1,170.) 

• DACA:

  restore the program that benefits immigrant youth brought as children and "explore all legal options to protect their families from inhumane separation."

  Open federal aid to Dreamers so they can pay for their studies. 

• TPS:

  order an immediate review of the Temporary Protected Status to prevent vulnerable populations from returning to countries that are not safe, including El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.

  Also, promote immigration reform in Congress that paves the way to citizenship for immigrants with TPS who have built their lives in the United States.  

• "Public charge":

  Reverse this rule that punishes immigrants or applicants for permanent residence who apply for government services, such as food stamps or Medicaid. 

• Raids:

  focus only on individuals who pose a threat to public and national security.

  End workplace raids and protect other sensitive places from actions that harm immigrants, such as hospitals, schools, or places of worship.  

• 287 (g):

  although there is no specific mention about the program that allows the collaboration of local police departments with immigration agents in Biden's extensive immigration plan, the issue is included in the recommendations made by his team along with the campaign of progressive Senator Bernie Sanders.

  The team proposed reversing the use of 287 (g) and similar programs, as well as ending all agreements reached during the Trump administration.

  Biden has spoken in favor of this recommendation.

• Military:

  Will not seek the deportation of people who serve in the Armed Forces or their families, and will advocate for the return of veterans deported by the Trump Administration. 

• Help for New Immigrants:

  Support them with English classes, entrepreneurship, financial management, workforce training, and the naturalization process. 

• Muslim veto:

  rescind travel bans for those coming from Muslim majority countries. 

It remains to be seen how many of these promises Biden will be able to make, which ones he will prioritize, and what his political alliances and figures will be appointed to carry them forward.