The Biden government and Hill’s Democrats are due to release an immigration reform bill later this week, several sources familiar with the planning told NBC News.
The legislative text of the “US Citizenship Act 2021” will reflect the immigration priorities that President Joe Biden revealed on his first day in office. His proposal includes a path taken for citizenship to 11 million undocumented immigrants, expands the refugee resettlement program and deploys more technology on the southern border. There are additional protections that are being considered in the legislation, such as the processing of asylum in the countries of origin for minors, extended benefits for DREAMers and the end of the public collection rule.
While previous attempts at massive immigration reform have failed under the Republican and Democratic governments, the Biden White House has signaled support for breaking the legislation to pieces.
As a potential secondary pathway, lawmakers would work to pass laws legalizing rural workers and Dreamers immediately and then move on to a broader review. The main objective, say officials and advocates, is progress.
“If certain parts of the bill become building blocks, that’s fine,” said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center.
Some parts of Biden’s immigration reform already have vehicles to move separately – and faster – through the House and the Senate.
Senator Robert Menendez, the Democrat of New Jersey, is leading the legislative campaign in the Senate.
“This plan is not just to fix our broken immigration system, but to build a better one that brings families together, pull the undocumented community out of the shadows and on a path to citizenship, defend human rights, address the root causes of migration and include a smart border security strategy, ”he said in a statement.
Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez – the California Democrat who is leading the legislative effort in the House – said many people are counting on reform.
“From our Dreamers, to service workers and farmers who are helping us to overcome this pandemic, there are many counting on this reform to fail,” she said in a statement. “I look forward to working with President Biden as well as with my housemates to finally make our immigration system more functional, fair and humane. “
Biden has already signed a series of executive reform actions aimed at immigration and reducing Trump’s efforts.
