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Joe Biden officially rescinded a series of executive measures taken by Donald Trump, including a proclamation that barred many green card candidates from entering the United States.
Trump issued the ban last year, saying it was necessary to protect American workers in high unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic. Biden rejected this reasoning in a proclamation overturning the visa ban on Wednesday. The president said this has prevented families from reuniting in the United States and harmed American businesses.
Other actions canceled by the president included one that sought to cut funding to several cities Trump had deemed “lawless” and “anarchist jurisdictions,” and another demanding that federal buildings be designed in a classic aesthetic.
Reversals come as the new president seeks to advance his own agenda and undo key aspects of his predecessor’s legacy. Since taking office last month, Biden has revoked dozens of Trump’s orders and issued dozens more.
In recent weeks, immigrant rights activists have called on him to lift the visa ban, which was due to expire on March 31. Biden left another ban in place for most temporary foreign workers.
Curtis Morrison, a California-based immigration attorney who represents those subject to the ban, said Biden will now have to tackle a growing backlog of applications that have been delayed for months as the pandemic halted the Most visa processing by the State Department. The process could potentially take years, he said.
“It’s a backlog that Trump has created,” Morrison said. “He broke the immigration system.”
The latest list of revocations targeted a series of issues, including a few that Trump signed off in his final months in office.
Trump issued a memorandum in September that sought to identify municipal governments that allow “lawlessness, violence and destruction in American cities.” The memorandum followed protests against the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police. The Department of Justice has identified New York, Portland, Oregon and Seattle as three cities likely to see reduced federal funding.
Those cities in turn have filed a lawsuit to strike down the designation and fight the Trump administration’s efforts to withhold federal dollars.
Pete Holmes, the Seattle city attorney, welcomed Biden’s dismissal, saying he was “happy to have this nonsense wiped off the bridges.”
Another reverse order included an order issued by Trump in his final days, which required federal buildings to revert to a more classical style of architecture. The memorandum added that architects should look to “America’s beloved iconic buildings” such as the White House, the US Capitol, the Supreme Court, the Treasury Department and the Lincoln Memorial for inspiration.
Biden also revoked a 2018 order calling on government agency heads to review social protection programs – such as food stamps, Medicaid and housing assistance – and to increase work requirements for some beneficiaries.
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