The move opens up legal avenues to migrate to the U.S. that former President Donald Trump had closed, arguing at the time that it was in the interest of the economy in the early months of the pandemic.
Biden accused in a proclamation on Wednesday that the Trump order “does not promote the interests of the United States. Rather, it harms the United States, including by preventing certain family members of American citizens and legal permanent residents from joining your families here. “
“It also hurts industries in the United States that use talent from around the world,” continued the president. “And it harms individuals who were selected to receive the opportunity to apply, and those who also received immigrant visas through the 2020 Fiscal Year Diversity Visa Lottery.”
Diversity visas are granted by random selection in selected countries to promote immigration from places that would otherwise not send many immigrants to the United States.
The coronavirus pandemic has further accelerated adjustments to the system that previously struggled to gain momentum, including Trump’s executive order in April, which he argued was necessary to save jobs in the U.S.
“This order will ensure that unemployed Americans of all backgrounds are first in the job queue as our economy reopens,” he said at the White House at the time.
“Crucially, we will also preserve our health resources for American patients. We have to take care of our patients; we have to take care of our excellent American workers. And that is what we are doing.”
Biden had outlined an ambitious immigration agenda in the campaign that would reverse the actions of his predecessor, promising – for example – to introduce comprehensive immigration legislation and maintain programs that provide relief to immigrants living in the United States.
He began his term by signing a series of executive immigration actions last month, although other changes in immigration policy require more time and coordination with Congress.