What do Latino activists expect from the Biden government?
2:57
(CNN) -
US President-elect Joe Biden plans to immediately begin rolling out his immigration agenda upon taking office Wednesday, but the new administration will also have to deal with migrants already at the border. with Mexico, as well as with those who are on the way.
Among the first actions Biden plans to take is proposing legislation that would offer a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants currently in the United States.
The legislation, which has already been drafted, includes an immediate path to citizenship for participants of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, among others, as well as border technology. and helps Central America, according to people familiar with the plan.
Why do migrants risk traveling to the US?
1:15
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has said the proposal also includes reducing the amount of time it takes to obtain citizenship to eight years.
Biden will also sign dozens of presidential decrees, according to a memo from incoming White House Secretary General Ron Klain, which includes repealing the ban on travel from predominantly Muslim countries.
But while Biden has vowed to take a more humane approach to those arriving at the southern U.S. border, incoming officials have been publicly warning migrants that rolling back restrictive policies under President Donald Trump will take time. a point that Biden has acknowledged.
advertising
Biden's advisor has already warned the migrant caravan: Do not come to the United States.
“The last thing we need to say is that we are going to immediately stop, you know, access to asylum the way it is being administered now and end 2 million people on our border.
It's a matter of setting the guide so that we can move in the direction, ”Biden said last month.
But behind the scenes, plans have been put in place to prepare for the new arrivals, which have been increasing gradually from last year and present an immediate challenge to the incoming administration as it sets its own immigration policies.
The Department of Homeland Security has been implementing contingency plans, anticipating an increase in migrants at the southern border as a result of deteriorating conditions in Latin America and a perceived relaxation of law enforcement, and relaying those plans to officials. transition, according to a senior official in the Department of Homeland Security.
The plans include, for example, the use of facilities that take into account covid-19 precautions.
Non-governmental organizations and Biden's transition team have engaged in regular planning conversations that have focused primarily on connecting with direct service providers at ports of entry to begin to gain a more nuanced perspective on processing and processing. regional differences, according to two family sources familiar with the discussions.
The long-term plan is to put in place a regional strategy that addresses root causes and widens migration pathways.
Caravans from Central America
According to the official Guatemalan immigration agency, an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 migrants bound for the United States have crossed into Guatemala from Honduras since Friday.
Guatemalan Army and National Civil Police detained a group of migrants with clubs and tear gas
The coronavirus pandemic has taken a dramatic toll in Latin America, where COVID-19 cases and deaths have skyrocketed and economic growth projections have been decimated.
The region was also affected by two devastating hurricanes.
According to the Congressional Research Service, slowing economic growth in 2020 is expected to worsen income inequality and poverty in the region.
The caravans, as they are known, are intended in part to provide security by number as migrants embark on the perilous journey north.
The Trump administration took advantage of the caravans to support its controversial and restrictive policies that largely isolated the US, but are only a means of migration.
«It receives excessive attention because it involves many people.
They do it for safety, they do it for community… It doesn't necessarily mean they have a better chance of getting in, ”said Theresa Brown, director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Center for Bipartisan Policy.
"We knew for a while that there was a pent-up demand to come to the United States," Brown added, citing conditions in Latin America.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on Monday that the country is closely following the progress of a caravan of migrants heading toward the US from Central America, adding that he is speaking with Central American government officials and USA, including the incoming Biden administration.
López Obrador said his team is "in communication with the United States government, current officials and those who are coming to the new government" on the issue of the caravans.
Reverse the Trump administration's policies
Trump's wall did not discourage the desire to enter the US 2:58
The Trump administration took an aggressive stance on the U.S.-Mexico border that resulted in thousands of migrants waiting at the southern border for their U.S. immigration court appointment and, during the coronavirus pandemic, the rapid expulsion of migrants, including children.
The incoming administration has vowed to reverse policies that migrant advocates argue put people in danger.
Klain underscored Biden's commitment to "restore the dignity of our immigration system and our border policies, and begin the difficult but critical job of reuniting separated families at the border," in a memo to staff over the weekend.
While that happens, the administration will also have to address the ongoing migration.
“That will be the challenge in this administration.
They're going to have to deal with this while planning what they want it to look like, ”Brown said.
Stefano Pozzebon of CNN in Bogotá and Florencia Trucco in Atlanta contributed to this report.
Joe biden