Time for Boldness: Biden-Harris Administration Must Prioritize Justice for All In The First 100 Days

NJ Alliance For Immigrant Justice Also Calls on NJ Delegation to Continue Leading on Inclusive Immigration Policies

New Jersey – Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 — Following the historic inauguration of President Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States and Vice President Kamala Harris as the first Black and South Asian woman Vice-President into office, Amy Torres, Executive Director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice released the following statement:

“As the nation watches the inauguration of our new President and Vice President, the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice calls on the Biden-Harris Administration to recognize the power of the broad-based coalition that has been at the forefront of the resistance since 2016 and ushered America into this new political reality: namely people of color, immigrants, and the larger social justice movement that has been an unrelenting, organized force against hate, discrimination, and bigotry. As Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take office, their partnership with this movement will be what reinstates the United States as a beacon of hope, opportunity, and example of liberty and justice for all.

“In his inauguration address, President Biden said, “It is the time for boldness.” We call on the Biden-Harris Administration to boldly recognize migration as a human right and end all policies that restrict that right. This administration must act swiftly and boldly to de-normalize xenophobic, racist, and divisive policies. Without a fierce and unapologetic platform of justice and inclusion, the repercussions of the last four years will be felt for generations to come. The Alliance looks forward to working with the Biden-Harris Administration, our New Jersey delegation, and the rich network of advocates and grassroots leaders to move toward a just, equitable future for all, starting with our priorities below.”
The introduction of the US Citizenship Act of 2021 is just one example of the bold vision and leadership needed to regularize immigration by creating a clear pathway towards citizenship for the 11 million undocumented American immigrants, including permanent residency for immigrant farmworkers, DACA-recipients, and TPS holders. Nearly one in three New Jersey residents is an immigrant and 40% of New Jersey children have an immigrant parent. The Alliance is thrilled that New Jersey’s own senior US Senator Bob Menendez will lead this bill.

However, more work remains to be done. The Alliance calls on the Biden-Harris Administration to immediately:

• Rescind Trump-era bans including the ban on Muslim Majority and African Countries, and the Migration Protection Protocols
• End the immigration system as we know it by ending ICE arrests, detention, deportation, border expulsions, and ending ICE and CBP’s ability to use state and local resources, such as the use of local jails to serve as ICE detention centers
• Restore asylum at the border and due process protections and appoint right to counsel for unrepresented immigrants
• Rescind regulatory changes like the harmful Public Charge wealth tests, caps on lottery and sponsorships, and the increased naturalization application, visa, and DACA renewal fees.

The Alliance also calls on the New Jersey congressional delegation to lead key pieces of immigrant justice legislation that pursues justice, belonging, and inclusion for immigrant communities including:

• Pursuing oversight investigations into the Department of Homeland Security’s border and detention abuses, family separation policies, forced sterilizations, and allegations of sexual assault, wrongful death, and shootings and murders across the border
• Investigate allegations of white supremacist infiltration into law enforcement agencies at all levels and pursue stronger protections and constitutional rights for people who face arrest or interaction with law enforcement
• Using the budget reconciliation process to strip harmful defense and immigration enforcement spending and appropriate fully fund family reunification for those cruelly separated by family separation policies, repatriation for those separated by TPS recissions, providing retroactive relief checks for excluded workers, and funding for the expedited citizenship through budget reconciliation
• Pushing forward Senator Booker’s FIRST Act to end detention during the COVID-19 pandemic, and building on the US Citizenship Act of 2021 by expanding access to immigrants who have come in contact with the criminal justice system, undoing the harmful roots of the 1996 “crimmigration” laws, and signing on to support and lead key pieces of the Roadmap to Freedom Platform to be introduced later this month.