On February 2, 2021, President Biden signed executive orders to create a new task force to reunify families. The Family Reunification Task Force is led by the new Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, who was confirmed on Tuesday and will:
• work to identify the children and parents or guardians who were separated at the border
• facilitate and enable the reunification of children with their families
• provide a report to the president on recommendations to ensure that the federal government does not have policies in place that separate families
In announcing the new task force, Biden said:
“I’m not making new law. I’m eliminating bad policy.”
The task force will manage family reunifications on a case-by-case basis and making different immigration benefit determinations for different families.
Former President Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy separated children and their parents or guardians at the U.S./Mexico border, and has resulted in at least 628 parents who are still separated from their children. The Trump administration officials had no system to keep track of families after they were separated, which is making reunification efforts even more difficult.
On his first days in office, President Biden reversed many of the Trump administration’s policy to severely restrict immigration:
• DACA Under the Biden Administration
• Guide To Biden’s Immigration – Removal Court and 100 Days Stop To Removal
• What Immigration Changes Are Expected During Biden’s 1st 100 Days?
The experienced immigration attorneys at Godoy Law Office in Chicago and Lombard offer assistance in family-based immigration matters to a range of people, including spouses, same-sex couples, fiancés, parents and children. We can also advise immigrants looking to secure status as permanent residents through the process of applying for a green card or citizenship. If you need help with an immigration issue, please contact our office or call us at 855-554-6369.
