100-Day Pause on Many Deportations and Other News

Last updated on January 26, 2021

Important Update: Unfortunately, the 100-day pause on deportations is no longer in effect. On January 26, 2021, a federal judge blocked the pause on deportations (the “deportation moratorium”) for at least 14 days. That means that people with deportation orders CAN be deported during this time. The court case is still ongoing, and we will post updates on this page. For more information, read this article.

The other changes listed below are still in effect.

—

This post is about actions taken by President Biden and his team on January 20, 2021. For information about Biden’s PROPOSED immigration reform bill, click here.

On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, Joe Biden became president of the United States. On his first day as president, Biden and his team announced several immigration changes.

What are the new immigration announcements?

The executive actions and other policies that President Biden and his team announced on his first day cover many topics, including public health (with a special focus on combating the coronavirus), the environment, and racial justice. Here are some of the most important immigration changes:

• Paused many deportations for 100 days, with some exceptions – TEMPORARILY BLOCKED. See more information about this below.
• Reversed the Trump Administration’s racist “Muslim Ban,” which restricted immigrants from many Muslim and African countries from entering the U.S.
• Strengthened DACA, a program that provides temporary relief from deportation for certain immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children.
• Paused construction of the border wall between Mexico and the U.S. However, travel restrictions at the border will remain in place.
• Stopped sending newly arrived asylum seekers back to Mexico under the program known as “Remain in Mexico” or “MPP.” However, asylum seekers already in the MPP program have been told to wait where they currently are for more instructions.
• Temporarily blocked deportations of Liberians who have been in the U.S. for many years (called “Deferred Enforced Departure”).
• Reversed the Trump Administration’s plans to exclude non-citizens from the census, which is used to distribute resources and other calculations used to assign government representatives.

More information about the 100-day pause on deportations – TEMPORARILY BLOCKED

Update: On January 26, 2021, a federal judge blocked the pause on deportations (the “deportation moratorium”) for at least 14 days. That means that people with deportation orders CAN be deported during this time. The court case is still ongoing, and we will post updates on this page. For more information, read this article.

What comes next 

President Biden and his team have also proposed a broader immigration reform bill that includes more changes to the immigration process, but it will need the approval of the majority of the members of Congress before it can become law. That can be a long and difficult process.

Click here to read more details about the proposed immigration reform bill. You can also learn more about these immigration changes here: flyer 1 and flyer 2. And we will continue to share important immigration updates on this website.

For more information and resources from the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP) visit our website.

Note: This information is not a substitute for advice from an attorney.