Thread by @doug_rand

🎉First official details of the immigration bill Joe Biden is sending to Congress today, & the name speaks volumes:

The U.S. Citizenship Act

Let's look at 5 pillars:

*Legalization
*Border
*Humanitarian
*Labor protections
*Legal immigration

1/
buildbackbetter.gov/press-releases…

Long-overdue naturalization & integration of undocumented Americans:

*Dreamers, TPS holders, & farmworkers eligible for green cards immediately

*Others get status immediately, then green cards 5 years later

*After 3 years with such green cards, eligible for US citizenship

2/

"Smart Border Controls":

*Funding for technology & infrastructure to screen for contraband at ports of entry, process more asylum-seekers, & secure southern border

*Accountability & training for Border Patrol

*Extra efforts to stop drug traffickers & human smugglers

3/

Crucially, the bill creates alternatives to border-crossing:

*$4B to address root causes of migration in Central America

*Refugee process for imperiled *people* before they migrate

*Family reunification for Central American children & parents

4/

Humanitarian provisions:

*Expanding family case management instead of detention

*All the things to make immigration courts less awful—not just more judges

*Asylum backlog reduction

*Protection for victims of violence, trafficking, & domestic abuse—& helpers of US military

5/

Labor protections:

*Commission to improve E-Verify

*Humanitarian visas for victims of serious worker exploitation

*Protections for seasonal & migrant workers

*Protections against employer retaliation

*Greater penalties for labor-law-breaking employers

6/

Future family-based immigration:

*Higher green card caps based on country

*No 3/10-year bars

*Recognizing same-sex partnerships

*Protection for family of Filipino WWII vets

*NO BAN Act (barring discriminatory entry bans)

*25k extra Diversity Visas

*Integration programs

7/

Also, this looks like a great big deal:

"The bill allows immigrants with approved family-sponsorship petitions to join family in the US on a temporary basis while they wait for green cards to become available."

Some backlogs are now >100 years.

8/
boundless.com/blog/100-year-…

Future employment-based immigration:

*No country caps & no age-outs (cc @immivoice)

*No caps for STEM PhD grads

*Access to green cards for lower-wage workers

*Work permits for spouses & children of H-1B workers (cc @SaveH4EADs)

9/

*Pilot program for regional economic development visas

*DHS gets "authority to adjust green cards based on macroeconomic conditions"

*"Incentivizes higher wages for [temporary] high-skilled visas to prevent unfair competition with American workers"

10/

For both family and employment-based green cards, a promise to:

*clear visa backlogs
*recapture unused visas
*reduce lengthy wait times

Looking forward to seeing the full bill text soon!

And don't forget today's immigration executive actions.
11/11
buildbackbetter.gov/press-releases…

Biden's immigration bill—the U.S. Citizen Act—would eliminate green card caps on the spouses & children of permanent residents.

This was part of Biden's immigration platform, & just confirmed by @SenatorMenendez via @AmericanBIC.

More background:
boundless.com/blog/family-sp…