Rep Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) release a new “roadmap to Freedom Resolution” this month outlining a plan to reverse President Trump’s “xenophobic policies.”
President-elect Joe Biden has already pledged to reverse many of these policies, but questions remain about how quickly he’ll be able to do it.
According to Voice of America, Biden can use the same mechanism Trump used to implement his policies-executive orders which do not need approval from Congress.
“In theory, presidential proclamations and executive orders can be rescinded by the new president; however, in many cases, the change will not be immediate since people will need to be installed in the agencies, guidance and field manuals must be updated, and plans will need to be made to carry out the changes,” Michele Waslin, program coordinator at the Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University in Virginia, told VOA .
She said policies changed through regulation will take longer as new regulations will need to be written and public comments must be taken before the rules are implemented.
“As a lifelong immigrant rights organizer and one of only 14 naturalized citizens serving in Congress, I know that we must do far more than simply reverse the harmful, xenophobic policies of the Trump Administration that inflicted maximum cruelty on immigrants and families,” said Jayapal, the American Bazaar reported.
Jayapal leads a progressive group of lawmakers and among those coming out in support of her roadmap is Rep Judy Chu (D-CA).
One of the biggest obstacles they may face is overturning Trump’s Public Charge rule which makes it more difficult for immigrants to obtain citizenship if they applied for government assistance.
The Migration Policy Institute told VOA that rule change will likely require notice and a public comment period.
One of the easiest changes that Biden could be reopening is the DACA program which would protect from deportation undocumented residents who came to the US before age 16.
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