NPR: Biden's limits on ICE offered hope. But immigrant advocates say he's broken promises

 

The drumbeat of criticism of the Biden administration's immigration record at the year one mark continues.  As reported by NPR,

"As the Biden administration approaches its one-year mark, there's mounting frustration among immigrant advocates at what they see as a growing list of broken promises.

Ambitious plans to overhaul the immigration system have stalled. Trump-era restrictions on asylum are still in place at the southern border — including the public health order known as Title 42, which allows authorities to quickly expel most migrants, and the return of a policy that forces some asylum-seekers to `Remain In Mexico' until their immigration court hearings. And the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) pulled out of settlement talks over financial compensation for families that were forcibly separated during the Trump administration."

As the criticism continues, "[t]he Department of Homeland Security (DHS) [yesterday] announced 22 new fields of study have been added to the STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program to enhance the contributions of nonimmigrant students studying in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and support the growth of the U.S. economy and innovation."  Although the steps have received some press attention, they are unlikely to do much to quell the overall criticism of the Biden administration's immigration record.

KJ