Comparison Between Migration Policies Of Trump And Biden Administrations – OpEd
Migration has always constituted a key domestic and foreign policy issue in the United States (US). A state built through migration, the US is the most favoured destination of immigrants from all over the world. However, there are diametrically opposed views among different sections of the US population on migration.
While parts of the US population view the entry of immigrants into the US as a positive development, other parts of the population view the phenomenon in a negative light. These contrary views are reflected in the migration policies of different US administrations. This article seeks to compare the migration policies of the two administrations of Donald Trump and the administration of Joseph Biden.
Trump’s Migration Policy
In his first State of the Union Address on 30 January 2018, Trump stated four pillars for immigration reform – pathway for citizenship for DREAMERS, increased border security funding, end of the lottery system which offers the opportunity to settle in the US, and restrictions on family-based immigration. Trump recited the song “The Snake” as a cautionary tale against immigration. This clearly demonstrated his attitude towards immigration.
During his first term, Trump undertook a number of initiatives on migration. Among them, the most momentous are as follows.
Birthright Citizenship: The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution allows for birthright citizenship. The Trump administration undertook efforts to roll back birthright citizenship.
Deportations and ICE Raids: During Trump’s first presidency, nearly 3.13 million undocumented immigrants were deported from the US. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carried out numerous raids and arrested many irregular immigrants. Trump proposed to make it more difficult to enter and have citizenship in the US.
Border Security: During his first presidential campaign, Trump promised to “build a great wall in southern border” to curb irregular immigration from Mexico. According to US Customs and Border Protection, the first Trump administration completed 452 miles of border wall, but only 80 miles of new barriers were built where none existed before. Hence, Trump’s promise to secure the US-Mexican border was only partially fulfilled.
Travel Bans: During his first presidency, Trump imposed travel bans on 15 countries, including 11 Muslim-populated countries, on the grounds of national security.
Moreover, during his first term, Trump executed many unique policies, such as the Remain in Mexico Policy (officially, the Migrant Protection Protocols), which forced asylum seekers to wait south of the US-Mexican border while their cases were processed in US courts. He also introduced a family separation policy (officially, the zero tolerance policy), under which the children of newly arriving irregular immigrants were systematically separated from their parents. According to a US report of June 2021, at least 3,900 children were separated from their families between July 2017 and January 2021 under this policy. Again, under Title 42 of the US Code, the first Trump administration turned away numerous immigrants at the US-Mexican border without providing them with opportunities to seek asylum in the US.
During his second (and current) term, Trump has revived many immigration policies which he had implement during his first term. He has ordered expedited removal which allows the US to deport non-citizens without hearing from the court. His administration has started registering and collecting fingerprints of all non-citizens. He has vowed to ensure that no work permit is given to irregular immigrants. Moreover, he has announced plans to revoke those policies that accord priorities to immigrants.
Biden’s Migration Policy
After taking office in 2021, Biden signed an executive order to terminate the controversial zero tolerance policy. Afterwards, he publicized his plan to terminate the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), alternatively known as the Remain in Mexico policy, and a US court ordered to terminate the MPP in 2022. In total, the Biden administration issued 605 migration-related executive orders.
According to an analysis of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), the Biden administration allowed 5.8 million immigrants to enter the US, with many of them through multiple paroled and sponsorship programs. Moreover, the Biden administration granted citizenship to nearly 3.5 million immigrants, the most of any single presidential term. Also, under the system of temporary protected status (TPS), the Biden administration provided immigrants with protection from deportation and access to work permits. Between January 2021 and October 2024, nearly 8.6 million immigrants were encountered at the US-Mexican border, and in 2024, the US welcomed the largest number of refugees in a single year since 1990.
While Biden revoked many of Trump’s migration policies, his administration continued turning away immigrants from the border under Title 42 for over a year, arguing that the policy is needed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, while Biden formally reversed the first Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy, the separation of the children of undocumented immigrants from their families continued during his tenure. Furthermore, after facing mounting domestic pressure over the influx of irregular immigrants at an unprecedented scale through the southern border, the Biden administration signed an executive order in 2024 that temporarily shut down asylum requests once the average number of daily encounters exceeds 2,500 between official ports of entry. Last but not least, the Biden administration deported some 4.4 undocumented immigrants between 2021 and 2024.
Conclusion
Superficially, the migration policies of the Trump and Biden administrations are vastly different. Trump’s migration policies have been deemed harsh, and they have sought to curb the entry of irregular immigrants into the US. On the other hand, Biden’s migration policies were deemed more relaxed, and the Biden administration undertook numerous pro-immigrant measures. However, there were some striking similarities between the two administrations’ migration policies. Biden theoretically terminated Trump’s zero tolerance policy, but practically continued to separate the children of irregular immigrants from their families, and in fact, more immigrants were deported by the Biden administration than the Trump administration. Hence, it can be surmised that while there were significant differences between the migration policies of the Trump administration and the Biden administration, their policies were not as diametrically opposed as popular imagination perceives.
