This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
President Joe Biden said he was determined to create a pathway to U.S. citizenship for immigrants participating in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Still, he said it “remains to be seen” if that will be included in his party’s $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill. Some Senate Democrats have aimed to provide legal status to immigrants with the budget measure, but haven’t released any details. Party leaders did inform other members that the budget measure would likely include opportunities for legislation on climate measures, social spending and a child tax credit, but it’s unclear if the Senate parliamentarian will allow immigration legislation into the bill. Reuters
Two Border Wall Contracts Terminated
The Department of Homeland Security announced that Customs and Border Protection is ending two border wall construction contracts in Texas’ Laredo sector. Biden ordered a pause on border wall construction when he first entered office. The two contracts for the Laredo sector cover about 31 miles of the southern border. The White House Office of Management and Budget said last month it projected it would return more than $2 billion to military projects whose funding was redirected to wall construction. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the process of terminating 20 wall contracts. CNN
What Trump-Era Policies Did to Migrants
In its latest podcast episode, Latino USA dives into two Trump-era policies, the Migrant Protection Protocols and Title 42, to see what roles they play under Biden after six months in office. MPP was put in place in January 2019 and forced tens of thousands of asylum-seeking migrants to wait in Mexico for their cases at U.S. immigration courts. Biden criticized the policy in October and terminated it in June. He has since slowly allowed migrants waiting in Mexico to enter the U.S. Meanwhile Title 42, which began at the start of the pandemic, has expelled all migrants, including those seeking asylum, and still remains active. Latino USA
