World Relief Responds to Biden Administration’s Executive Order on Immigration Reform

January 20, 2021

CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
(703) 388-6734

BALTIMORE  – Today, President Biden proposed an immigration bill that would provide an 8 year path to citizenship for millions in America without legal status, an expedited path to citizenship for Dreamers and others who have already been residing lawfully in the U.S. and proposes several other vital changes. The president also will sign a series of immigration-related executive orders. World Relief applauds the administration for following through on its promise to prioritize immigration reform, including an earned legalization process for the undocumented.

World Relief is encouraged by the broad thrust of Biden’s proposal. We urge the administration to address other urgent immigration priorities, including resetting the refugee resettlement ceiling, restoring the U.S. asylum process and restoring legal immigration processing, as quickly as possible.

“These day-one actions are worth celebrating, and we hope they will be a down payment on further necessary immigration and refugee policy changes. While we urge President Biden to do what he can administratively, ultimately Congress must cooperate on a bipartisan basis if we are to see the long overdue reforms needed to repair our broken immigration system,” says Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief. “World Relief, along with our many partner churches and supporters, is eager to help garner bipartisan support in the coming months for a bill that would provide an earned legalization process for undocumented immigrants and meet other priorities.”

World Relief commends the Biden administration for advancing policies and legislations that will serve refugees and immigrants within and across our nation’s borders. While the president’s legislative proposal provides a positive starting point, it is ultimately up to Congress to forge bipartisan consensus to craft an immigration bill that will provide hope to millions of immigrants, ensure secure borders and facilitate lawful migration, which includes reuniting families and offering refuge to some of the world’s most vulnerable people who have fled persecution. We hope and pray that bipartisan unity will be forthcoming in Congress so that lasting and broad-reaching reform is possible.

“We firmly believe that America has a moral imperative to welcome refugees, asylum seekers and other immigrants once again into our nation,” says Tim Breene, CEO of World Relief. “Our hope is that Americans, regardless of political party, will set aside their differences and come together to rebuild an immigration process that will reflect the best of American values and the biblical values that guide many Americans.”

To learn more about World Relief, visit worldrelief.org.

To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.

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About World Relief

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.

Learn more at worldrelief.org.