A few days before 6 November, the 35th anniversary of the enactment of a law on immigration reform, the winds are blowing against immigrants and the current US government.
Meanwhile, the desperation of the undocumented grows before the reaffirmed reality that their problems are being held hostage to partisan interests in the United States.
The facts show how, after almost a year in the White House, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, has still not fulfilled what he promised to his compatriots: to reform the country’s immigration laws, something that millions of people who voted for the Democrats in 2020 demand and expect.
The situation is that the alleged reform that Biden presented in his first days in office so far has not taken place and, worse still, there are actions such as the order that immigrants must remain in Mexico while waiting for their cases to be processed. The patience of those who live in the shadows and of those who support them has already reached its limit, according to analysis published by the Californian newspaper La Opinion, one of the most well-versed media on the subject.
Immigrant advocacy organisations are correct in their criticism of the Biden administration for not doing enough to help the undocumented. The White House’s explanation of being tied by the courts in their attempt to eliminate the policy also has its logic, the newspaper said.
The way is complicated for those escaping from (mainly economic) situations in their countries that Washington helped to exacerbate.
It is the political conflict between what is promised, what is possible, what is desirable and what is convenient.
In the midst of it all are millions of immigrants who have spent decades living in the shadows, working and paying taxes in secret, building a family and a future in this land, say their defenders.
Democrats in the Senate are perfecting the new proposal that would protect undocumented immigrants from deportation and grant them Employment Authorisation for up to 10 years. However, it must first be approved by the parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to be integrated into the Reconciliation bill that now remains stagnant in Congress.
The undocumented could be protected from deportation through a legislative statute known as ‘parole’, as well as obtain Employment Authorisation for five years, which could be renewable for another similar period.
Anyone who arrived in the United States before 1 January 2011 and does not have a significant criminal record could apply for this process. They would have a work permit and protection from deportation for up to 10 years if it gets the endorsement of Congress.
This plan, according to a study by the Center for American Progress (CAP), would benefit 7.1 million people, more than 50% of those who currently remain illegal according to conservative figures.
If this initiative of the Democrats advances and is included in the Reconciliation bill, the economic package of 3.5 trillion dollars that reinforces Biden’s Build Back Better plan, the Democrats will have achieved a part of what the undocumented and their defenders aspire to, as long as it advances in the Senate.
On the issue of immigration, many remember warnings to Democrats that the barriers to immigration raised by former President Donald Trump would be difficult to tear down and would take time in the best of cases.
That is the reality now.
The mogul’s legacy is not easy to turn around, both in legal terms and in public debate.
Protests by those affected, including a wide Welcome With Dignity coalition that brings together immigrant advocates and American civil and human rights organisations, are worthless.
For example, the ‘Remain in Mexico’ programme from the Trump era is being maintained by court decision, despite attempts by the White House to annul it. (PL)