Students, faculty support Biden’s start on immigration but say more has to be done

President Joe Biden’s undoing of many of former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies is an improvement, but there is still much left to do, UCLA students and professors said.

Biden issued 17 memorandums, executive orders and proclamations Jan. 20. His orders included ending the travel ban from several African and mainly Muslim countries, stopping construction of the Mexico border wall, reincorporating noncitizens into the census and preserving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program from Trump’s attempts to dismantle it.

Biden also attempted to implement a 100-day pause on deportations, but a federal judge in Texas temporarily barred the freeze Tuesday.

For some UCLA students, Biden’s reforms are a weight off their shoulders, said Hamza Mirza, a third-year history student.

Mirza said he was happy to hear Biden dissolved the travel ban because it was a violation of Muslims’ and Muslim Americans’ rights.

“(Biden’s reforms) are definitely a good sign,” Mirza said. “I know people who, at certain points, weren’t sure if they would be able to go home and … see family because of the Muslim ban,” Mirza said.

Margaret Peters, an associate political science professor, said there were concerns if a UCLA student from one of the banned countries could come to the U.S. when the travel ban was in place. But these students and their family members can now get a visa and visit or move here, she said.

Hiroshi Motomura, the director of the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy, said Biden’s measures will undo the damage the previous administration caused, but there are still pressing issues that remain unaddressed.

“It’s important for the administration to eliminate the discrimination that the Trump administration put into the immigration system,” Motomura said.

Trump was vocal about discouraging immigrants from countries he did not like and that stemmed from racism, and the Biden administration needs to erase this bias, he said.

Motomura added that the Biden administration should study the cause of migration because they must first understand why people leave other countries in order to then address immigration issues in a responsible fashion.

“If all you do is legalize people, but you don’t change the system, then we’re going to have the same problems 10 to 15 years from now,” he said.

Biden’s actions are a strong start for immigration reform, said Ana Lua Martel, a DACA recipient and third-year political science and Chicana and Chicano studies student. She added that he needs to make DACA accessible for those excluded.

Leslie Roman Calderon said she supports Biden’s recent efforts to protect immigrants, but the feeling is bittersweet for undocumented students like her who do not qualify for the DACA program he is trying to preserve.

While it is great students can continue to get a second chance through DACA, the requirements to apply are still not updated to include more people, said the first-year political science student.

Brenda Rodriguez, a DACA recipient and fourth-year Chicana and Chicano studies student, said she is not completely pleased with Biden’s orders and that the narrative surrounding DACA dismisses unprotected immigrants.

“(Biden has mentioned) creating a citizenship (pathway) for DACA recipients and their parents, but I do see it as, ‘Well what about the others?'” Rodriguez said. “There are other undocumented people … that are going to still face deportation because they are not protected under (DACA).”

Motomura said that even though Biden can push to preserve DACA and create a pathway for legalization at the same time, it will take a lot of legislative effort and time.

Legalization is essential, but it is a temporary solution, he said. The immigration system itself needs to be better understood before real change can happen, Motomura added.

The biggest roadblock in the legalization of undocumented immigrants is there are only 50 Democratic seats in the Senate, Peters said.

The Democratic Party needs to find at least 10 Republican votes to get legislation passed, but many of the Republicans who supported immigration reform have retired, she said.

Moving forward, Rodriguez said she hopes Biden’s future immigration policies will be fair to all immigrants.

“There is this good and bad immigrant narrative out there that only certain immigrants should deserve all the dignity and should stay in this country,” Rodriguez said. “I just hope that Biden really does take that step in (changing this).”