We wanted to make sure you saw the stories of the first families to be reunited by the Biden Administration’s Family Reunification Task Force after years of being cruelly ripped apart under the Trump Administration’s draconian family separation policies. These incredible moments would not have been possible without the courage of the families involved, and the tireless efforts of countless lawyers, advocates, and service providers who lead the effort to fight for these reunifications.
While these stories mark turning the page on Trump’s cruel immigration policies, there is still so much more work to be done to reunite additional families from the thousands impacted, to address root causes of forced migration and to create a functional, safe, and humane immigration system. Part of reversing the policies implemented by the previous administration includes reforming the larger immigration system. The reality is that irregular forced migration will continue until we create a safe, orderly and humane system going forward so that migrants can come with a visa with a functioning, 21st century system.
In order to also keep families together and prevent family separations in the interior of the country, our government leaders must expand pathways to citizenship and protect vulnerable communities. Addressing the legacy of an immigration system that has not been updated to meet the evolving needs of our country in decades has trapped millions of people in undocumented status with few, if any, options to earn legal status. More than 5 million U.S. citizen children live in a household where one or more parents are undocumented and are at risk of seeing their families being separated everyday. Families’ survival should not depend on who is in the White House, and Congress should support the will of the American people by passing overdue permanent protections for immigrant communities.
Below, please find a round up of stories featuring family reunifications under the Biden Administration.
The New Yorker: A Mother, Separated from Her Children at the Border, Comes Home
CNN: A mom and son sobbed as they reunited at the border after 3 years apart
Univision Noticias: El emotivo encuentro entre una madre y su hijo tras cuatro años de separación familiar en la frontera
MSNBC: Biden Administration Begins Reuniting Families Separated Under Trump
CBS News: U.S. begins reuniting families separated under Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy
The Los Angeles Times: A mother and son separated during Trump administration reunite
El Diario NY: VIDEO: Familia hondureña inmigrante se reencuentra; estuvieron separados casi 4 años por política de Trump
