President Biden announced a 100-day moratorium on deportations to allow his Administration time to review relevant priorities for deportation within the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”). The order stops all deportations for those foreign nationals physically present in the United States prior to November 1, 2020. There are several notable exceptions for those who voluntarily choose to accept removal and those who present a national security threat.
The Biden Administration is seeking to alter the enforcement priorities at DHS and implement a priority removal system that focuses on deporting individuals who are national security risks and those with aggravated felony convictions. The idea of the shift is to limit the deportation of low-threat individuals with family ties to the United States, thus keeping families together.
The policy is reminiscent of the tiered priority system in use during the Obama Administration which was designed to limit the forced separation of families in the United States. With this order, President Biden is again demonstrating his interest in maintaining family unity for immigrant families and demonstrating an element of compassion in the application of U.S. immigration law.
If you or a family member have an existing order of deportation, or if you have questions about the Presidential Order, please contact Stephen Antwine, Esq. at Green & Spiegel, LLC at (215) 395-8959.
