November 7, 2020
The American people have spoken: The Trump administration has met its end. President-elect Joe Biden and Madam Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the first Black and Indian-American woman and daughter of immigrants to be elected Vice President, have won the election. The Trump administration’s cruel policies have caused destruction, pain, and chaos for immigrant communities over the last four years. With a new incoming administration, we expect, indeed demand, not just a rollback of the damage caused, but also long-overdue immigration reform.
Immigrant Defenders Law Center stands firm in our commitment to the fight for humanity, equality, racial equity, due process, universal representation, and immigrant justice. We call on our new leaders to push our country into a new chapter where every immigrant seeking refuge on U.S. soil is protected by due process.
Through solidarity and uniting across our differences, we must:
- Restore asylum and protections for refugees
- End the Remain in Mexico program
- End the immigration detention system
- End expedited removal
- Restore Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
- Create a pathway to Citizenship for Dreamers and the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the shadows
- Create an independent immigration court and appellate board
- End family separation once and for all
- Establish a nationwide system of universal representation in immigration court
The moment is ripe for this nation to provide humanitarian relief and protection to our world's most vulnerable citizens, and finally provide an opportunity for millions of undocumented immigrants to be given a fair opportunity to fulfill their American dreams and contribute to the growth and success of our country. The Biden/Harris team has promised to end the cruel Migrant Protection Protocols known as the Remain in Mexico Program within their first 100 days. We must hold them to it. They have promised to create a task force on family reunification. This is a start but not enough – these families deserve fair proceedings with full representation before an unbiased court. Families and individuals who were denied due process under the Trump administration deserve an opportunity to present their case once more. We are grateful to the American people for voting to keep our democracy alive and call on each of you to join us in holding the next administration accountable. This is not an end of the fight, but the beginning of progress; la lucha sigue!
