Washington, DC – As organizations and individuals who believe in the dignity of all people, the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) welcomes the sea-change on immigration policy that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are ushering in.
“Much love to all the immigrants, organizers, grassroots advocates, and lawyers who stood up to the callous and unflinching deportation machine–fighting back against its harms on our community, especially Black Immigrants, both during the Trump Administration and before. After four years of othering, division, scapegoating, and racism at the highest levels of the U.S. government, the Biden-Harris Administration is re-orienting our nation’s immigration policy to one of welcome, humanity, and fairness. We welcome these changes with joy, and will continue to call on this administration and Congress to work to protect all immigrants in our communities,” said Peniel Ibe, policy engagement coordinator at the American Friends Service Committee and Co-Chair of the IIC.
We’ve seen this spirit exhibited by our religious institutions that have ministered to migrants’ souls and survival over four grueling years. Now, we are seeing this spirit reflected in our government. “As a coalition,” said Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, “we have been proud to stand with the most vulnerable people living among us: undocumented immigrants, immigrant youth, asylum seekers, refugees, unaccompanied children and separated families, low-income immigrants, Black migrants, and more. Today, we celebrate the action taken by the Biden administration to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people, including DACA recipients; to increase refugee admissions; to support family reunification; and to strengthen and humanize border security. We also celebrate what this legislative proposal symbolizes: a renewed appreciation for the ways in which the United States is strengthened by the contributions of immigrants.”
The IIC’s blueprint for policy change, presented to the Transition Team, contains three broad priorities:
- Bring accountability, compassion, fairness, and morality to immigration and other policies. Tear down walls and build communities.
- Decolonize the U.S.’ role in other countries as they build and strengthen.
- Work with Congress to pass bold, humane, and compassionate immigration laws.
Already on Day 1, the new Administration has taken bold action and made strong commitments toward realizing these goals.
Ending the Muslim, Refugee, and African Ban
“The Biden administration is proving through words and action that racism and religious discrimination has no place in our immigration system or elsewhere and we should all celebrate the repeal of the Muslim, Refugee, and African Ban today,” said Hillary Kipnis, Senior Policy Advisor for Bridges Faith Initiative. “We cannot forget the enduring pain and suffering of families separated, the thousands of dreams shattered, and the lives and years lost as a result of the cruel and baseless travel bans, nor can we allow for this to happen again. President Biden has done his part, but the fight is not over. Congress must pass the NO BAN Act.”
Repealing Trump’s Mass Deportation Policy; Legislation to Enact Immigration Reform
Peniel Ibe, policy engagement coordinator at the American Friends Service Committee and Co-Chair of the IIC, said: “Immigrants, organizing, have forced repeal of many of Trump’s mass deportation blueprint on Day 1 of the Biden-Harris Administration. This is a huge victory! Addressing the crisis that is our detention and deportation machine must continue to be a priority for this administration. Next, Congress has to do its job and enact bold, humane, and compassionate immigration laws that keep communities together.”
“Today marks a new beginning for compassionate policy, a fresh start for immigration and resettlement, and a rekindling of hope for families seeking to be part of our great nation free from fear. It is now the duty of Congress to pass this bill and deliver it to President Biden’s desk for his signature,” said Rev. John L. McCullough, President and CEO of Church World Service. “This may be only an initial step forward, but it is an important one. Immigrant and refugee families have been long-torn apart—both by a system that shuts doors instead of opening them and by those who would use that system as a tool to amplify their xenophobia.”
Restoring DACA
“Dreamers today see a glimpse of hope into their future and we rejoice with them. We have been a part of their sorrow, their struggles, and their suffering. We are committed to working to end the anguish, the doubt, and uncertainty they experience every day under the DACA program,” said Stephen Reeves, Associate Coordinator for Advocacy of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. “As Cooperative Baptists we will advocate alongside DACA recipients until the day we witness together the approval of legislation creating a fair path to citizenship for the 700,000 DACA beneficiaries in our country.”
“Dreamers have endured relentless trauma for years as they watched their legal protections be promised, threatened, litigated, momentarily protected, and taken away,” said Melissa Stek, Justice Mobilization Specialist with the Office of Social Justice of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. “We praise God for this proposal that will provide a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and Dreamers, finally providing them some long-awaited peace and security. We will hold Congress accountable to moving forward with this compassionate and hopeful legislation.”
Rejecting the Racist Border Wall
“We applaud President Biden’s intention to stop financing the construction of the US/MX border wall,” said Scott Wright, Director of the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach. “Walls are a failure of public policy and a failure of a compassionate imagination. We encourage our new President to reimagine border management so that it responds to the needs of border communities and migrants. This must include ending detention, restoring access to asylum, and removing all military presence from the border. Let us instead invest in our communities and support their efforts to welcome our new neighbors.”
Other Forms of Interim Protection
“We applaud the Administration’s extension for Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians on Day 1,” said Peniel Ibe, policy engagement coordinator at the American Friends Service Committee and Co-Chair of the IIC. “In the coming days, we hope to see a restoration and re-designation of TPS for countries the Trump Administration rejected. In addition, the Biden Administration must extend the protection to nationals of other countries in turmoil, such as Cameroon and Mauritania. TPS can save lives.”
What’s Next?
In a letter to President Biden, 135 faith-based groups and leaders called for immediate protection of nationals from Cameroon, who have been neglected and deported to the danger they fled. They write: “Designating DED or TPS for this group could provide a lifeline for Cameroonians who face immediate security threats in their homeland. To add to the unbelievable pressure faced by Cameroonians back home, several alarming high-profile incidents involving the treatment of Cameroonians in U.S. detention have raised grave concerns about abuse, torture, and coercion in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. These incidents belie our calling to treat every human being with dignity and respect.”
Interfaith Immigration Coalition member organizations and their congregations, grassroots networks, and communities eagerly await details about the planned deportation moratorium; restoration of asylum laws and protections; expansion of our commitment to welcoming refugees; effective development aid to Central American and other countries; and many other wrongs that must be righted.
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants.
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