President Biden on Immigration: Creating Hope for Rhode Island Immigrants or a Continuation of the "Deporter-In-Chief" Persona?

In the hours following the inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden, the Biden-Harris administration took pivotal steps forward in making a comprehensive cross-governmental effort to reform the American immigration system. Such action, undertaken in the earliest moments of Joe Biden’s presidency, signals a dramatic reversal of Trump-era immigration policies. 

Throughout his 2020 presidential bid, President Biden promised substantial changes to the American immigration system, a message that was overwhelmingly welcomed by Rhode Island Democrats and immigrants’ rights advocates. On January 20th, 2021, President Biden proceeded to honor this message, undertaking nineteen official executive actions, including an amalgamation of executive orders, memorandums, and proclamations pertaining to specific immigration issues. These actions aimed to review and reverse the regulations, policies, and guidance of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to deter immigration to the United States. 

In a press release provided by the White House regarding the forthcoming development of a Family Reunification Task Force, President Biden justified his actions upon his beliefs that:

“Immigrants are essential to who we are as a nation and critical to our aspirations for the future. The prior administration enacted hundreds of policies that run counter to our history and undermine America’s character as a land of opportunity.”

Thus far, this sentiment has culminated in President Biden’s efforts to (1) reverse the travel ban imposed against primarily Muslim countries; (2) stop construction of the southern border wall; (3) end “harsh” immigration enforcement practices; (4) extend protection from deportation for Liberians in the U.S.; and (5) revoke orders that exclude undocumeted immigrants from the 2020 census. Most significantly, however, this has culminated in the Biden Administration’s reaffirmation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program -- the “Dreamer” initiative which provided millions of undocumented children and young adults with deferred action from deportation. In his four years as President, Donald Trump engaged in a futile battle to dismantle the Obama-era program. President Biden’s memorandum strengthening the DACA program has instead presented itself as a major form of relief for many immigrants and immigrants’ rights activists seeking the opportunity to use all available legal mechanisms to “advocate and push for migrant justice'' in the United States.

So, what do these proposals by the Biden administration signify for states with highly-populated immigrant communities, such as those in Rhode Island? 

Constituting approximately 13% of the state’s population as of 2018, more than 139,063 immigrant men, women and children call Rhode Island home. Since his inauguration, prominent immigrants’ rights advocates in the state have adopted varying forms of support for the Biden administration and its recent immigration reform initiatives. 

At the Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island -- one of the state’s leading resources for refugees and immigrants in the Providence and larger Rhode Island communities -- organizers feel “empowered like never before” to serve and protect the growing immigrant population in the state. Mirroring this sentiment, Mayor Maria Rivera of Central Falls has expressed her excitement that Biden has centered his focus upon the issues that matter most to Central Falls families: “tackling this deadly pandemic and vaccinating everyone, passing more paycheck relief and economic stimulus, and finally accomplishing a pathway to citizenship for our immigrant neighbors.” 

Contrarily, other members of the Rhode Island immigrant advocacy realm shared a seemingly dissimilar point of view. For example, Marcela Betancur, the executive director of the Latino Policy Center at Roger Williams University, proved hesitant in her outright approval of the new administration. Betancur expressed her cautionary support for President Joe Biden by noting the faults of his predecessors -- specifically former President Barack Obama, who was colloquially critiqued as the “Deporter-in-Chief.”  Such criticism was resultant of President Obama and then Vice President Biden’s oversight of the mass deportations of approximately 3 million immigrants during their administration. Taking this staggering number of deportations in accordance with President Biden’s campaign-trail proclamation that President Obama had done a “heck of a job” on immigration, Betancur and fellow advocates’ anxiety is not unwarranted.

Moreover, these anxieties have been further justified by administrative actions undertaken since January. According to the advocates and organizers of United We Dream -- the largest immigrant youth-led network in the country -- under the Biden-Harris Administration's watch, deportations are continuing to take place daily. Approximately 26,248 deportations by the Biden Administration have been confirmed as of February 16, 2021, despite Biden’s campaign promises. While immigrants’ rights activists and policymakers have fought in recent weeks to bring this glaring issue to light, this number is likely to have increased since. 

With this in mind, it is not clear where the fate of immigrant communities seeking an easier, more secure pathway to United States citizenship lies-- both in Rhode Island and nationally. Although, in the earliest days of his administration, President Biden appeared to demonstrate an eagerness to reverse Trump-era immigration policies and restrictions and a willingness to go beyond the Obama administration’s attempts at immigration reform, it is not presently clear what direction the Biden-Harris administration will continue to pursue on immigration. It is plausible that the fear Marcela Betancur shared in her analysis of the administration could come to fruition. 

Thus, the question remains whether President Biden will move forward on a path toward equitable and comprehensive immigration reform, or if he will instead assume the role of his predecessors as yet another “Deporter-in-Chief.” The fate of the burgeoning community of immigrants in the state of Rhode Island lies within this answer.

Hannah Ponce is a junior concentrating in Public Policy and Ethnic Studies. She is a Staff Writer for the Law Review’s Blog and can be reached at hannah_ponce@brown.edu.