President-elect Joe Biden plans to unveil a sweeping immigration bill on Day One of his administration. It would provide an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal status, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the legislation. It's a massive reversal from the Trump administration’s harsh immigration policies.
The legislation puts Biden on track to deliver on a major campaign promise after four years of President Donald Trump’s restrictive policies. But it does not include beefed-up border security, which makes passage in Congress in doubt.
It is set to be introduced after Biden takes the oath of office Wednesday.
Biden made a similar promise during the final presidential debate in October.
"I’m going to send to the United States Congress a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented people," Biden said. "And all those so called Dreamers, those DACA kids, they’re going to be immediately certified again, to be able to stay in this country, and put on a path to citizenship."
Biden has previously said that he would give immigrants seeking asylum a day in court rather than holding them in detention, an issue that many Republicans disagree with.
"The catch and release, you know what he’s talking about there? If in fact, you had a family, came across, they’re arrested. They, in fact, were given a date to show up for their hearing. They were released. And guess what, they showed up for a hearing," Biden said in October.