What Immigrants Need to Know about the Biden-Harris Presidential Ticket

On August 11, 2020, Joe Biden, former Vice President of the United States and Presidential nominee for the upcoming elections selected Senator Kamala Harris has his running mate. 

This selection was met with a buzz, especially in the immigration community. Kamala Harris is the child of two immigrant parents – a history-making her keenly aware of the challenges and discrimination immigrants face in America. As a child, Harris had the front row seat as her mother, an outstanding academic, was discriminated against and regarded as inferior due to her accent. 

Biden’s selection brings immigration matters and immigration reform back into the spotlight. It challenges the current Trump administration’s stance on immigration matters to the core.

What could the Biden-Harris ticket mean for immigration reform in America? Could it bring a glimmer of hope for immigrants who are still trying to overcome the obstacles thrown in their immigration path by Trump?

Past Immigrations Policies

Neither Biden nor Harris has been quiet in the past when it comes to immigration policies.

Since Harris became a U.S. Senator, she has always been seen to cast a progressive vote. She has also been recognized as a leading voice against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. For example, when Trump bid to make protection for Dreamers contingent on the construction of a border wall, Harris blocked the bid. 

One of the things Harris has fought for is ensuring when immigrants are detained at U.S. points of entry, they receive proper legal representation. She has also argued that entering the United States improperly shouldn’t be a criminal offense. In 2019, Harris led attempted reforms to the country cap system in an attempt to free up more green cards for countries like Indian and China. 

Harris has made it clear that, if elected, her most immediate priority would be to reverse Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda and build a future that lives up to America’s values.

Harris wants to see the following from the presential office: 

• Protection of undocumented immigrants
• Restoration of the DACA program
• Protections for Dreamers’ parents, and
• Elimination of the age cap for DACA applicants. 

While Harris has historically focused on protecting undocumented immigrants, Biden’s immigration focus is to improve the legal immigration system.  

What the Biden-Harris Ticket Means for Immigrants

The Biden-Harris ticket could have a significant impact on immigrants – only under this administration, it will be for the good. The reforms Biden and Harris has planned could mean a more secure and hopeful future for immigrants in America.

Here is what could be in store for immigrants under the Biden-Harris ticket.

DACA

Harris doesn’t only want to ensure the protection of undocumented immigrants, restoration of the DACA program, protections for Dreamers’ parents, and elimination of the age cap for DACA applicants.

One of the things Harris has promised is to issue new rules that will ensure being separated from close family members constitutes “extreme hardship” for immigration purposes. This would make it easier for undocumented immigrants to move over to legal status without first being required to leave the United States for several years. 

Harris also wants to remove the numerous technical bars currently in place, which is preventing Dreamers from getting green cards. She has called this the “roadmap to citizenship“. This plan will likely affect about 2.1 million DACA recipients.

Green Card Holders

One of the pledges Biden has made is to remove the obstacles to naturalization that many green card holders are currently facing. He also plans to launch a federal effort to help new Americans integrate into the economy more easily. 

Biden has been bold in stating he wants STEM graduates to be exempted from caps on employment-based visas. On top of that, Biden wants foreign Ph.D. graduates to receive green cards with their diplomas. Biden believes losing these highly trained workers to other countries would be a disservice to the American economic competitiveness.

If Biden is elected and these plans are implemented, it could open many doors and green card opportunities for immigrants. 

Indian Immigrants

A reality for many Indian immigrants is the fact that they need to wait for years before they can get a green card. This is because there is a country cap on the green cards available to Indians. 

As an Indian-American, Harris will hopefully pay extra attention to the lengthy visa waiting list for Indians and this reality. Fortunately, Harris has made it clear she wants to see reforms to the country cap system. The focus of this will be to free up more green cards for countries like India and China. Hopefully, as Vice President of the United States, she will be able to see success on this plan this time around. 

Another win in this regard is Biden’s manifesto, which states that Biden will expand the number of high-skilled visas available. It also says he will eliminate the country caps for employment-based visas. 

At the moment, the total annual cap on green cards available to Indian immigrants is only 20 000. If Biden stays true to his promise, just this fact could reverse the damage done by Trump’s H1B visa ban and his suspension of green cards. 

What a Biden-Harris Win Could Do for Immigration Reform

Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate has thrust immigration policy back into the spotlight. This selection has proven Biden is serious about immigration reform – not only for legal immigrants but also for undocumented immigrants. It also hints at the fact that Biden will use his executive authority to take quick action to undo many of Trump’s extreme anti-immigrant policies. It seems his plan is to undo the harm done by Trump while still working with Congress on durable immigration reform. 

Biden’s focus on immigration reform acknowledges that immigrants are a valuable competitive advantage to the U.S. He has even relied on research that showed “the total annual contribution of foreign-born workers is roughly $2 trillion.”

Conclusion

Should Biden take the presidential seat with Harris as Vice President, immigrants to the United States can expect widespread immigration reform. Increased protection for DACA recipients and undocumented immigrants plus the removal of the country cap system is only a few items on Biden’s agenda. Despite non-citizens not being able to vote and Biden’s opposition stating his immigration policies will result in a “socialist utopia”, there is hope for American immigrants to find a more secure and welcoming home in the United States.

Frank Gogol

I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

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