Senate Democrats Urge Biden To Extend Protections For Illegal Immigrants

As the Biden administration nears its final days, a group of Senate Democrats is lobbying Joe Biden to grant extended protections to hundreds of thousands of migrants before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next year. In a letter sent earlier this week, Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) called on Biden to take executive action to shield illegal immigrants, including recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, from potential deportation under the incoming Trump administration.

“We are eager to ensure that DACA recipients, TPS holders, and other immigrants who are critical members of our communities and economies are not forgotten during this busy time,” the senators wrote, urging Biden to use his remaining time in office to provide long-term security for migrant populations.

DACA, which was created by former President Barack Obama in 2012, offers temporary relief from deportation and work authorization to immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Despite efforts to end the program under the Trump administration, it has persisted under Biden’s leadership, although its future remains uncertain due to ongoing legal challenges.

The senators are pushing Biden to extend the status of DACA recipients for the maximum possible period, which is up to two years per renewal.

Similarly, the senators are asking Biden to extend and redesignate TPS for several countries, a status that allows migrants from designated nations facing environmental disasters, armed conflicts, or other unsafe conditions to remain in the U.S. temporarily. Currently, TPS is granted to individuals from countries such as Haiti, El Salvador, and Honduras, but the senators are urging Biden to expand the list and extend protections for those who have already been granted TPS.

Cortez Masto expressed her concern during a recent MSNBC interview. “What I take is what I hear from this incoming administration, they’re going to engage in mass deportation and nobody is safe. That’s why I’m asking the administration to come in now to protect some of the immigrant communities — TPS recipients, DACA recipients.”

Under Biden’s presidency, the foreign-born population in the U.S. has grown significantly, with nearly seven million new foreign nationals arriving since January 2021. This increase has brought the total number of foreign-born individuals living in the U.S. to a record 52 million, according to recent data.

The Democrats’ push to extend immigration protections for illegal immigrants in the final days of the Biden administration may further highlight a growing disconnect between the party’s leadership and the broader American electorate. While many Democratic lawmakers argue that extending protections to DACA and TPS recipients is a necessary step to safeguard vulnerable communities, numerous polls and political analyses have shown that a plurality of U.S. voters are shifting right on immigration. In particular, former President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies were a key factor in his political appeal and played a significant role in his recent victory. Trump’s “America First” rhetoric, which included building a border wall and restricting illegal immigration, resonated with a large swath of voters who expressed frustration with what they saw as lax immigration policies under the current administration. By pushing for expanded protections for illegal immigrants, Senate Democrats risk alienating a sizable portion of the electorate, particularly working-class voters in swing states, who view such measures as overly permissive and out of touch. For Democrats, the issue of immigration could become a political liability rather than a winning issue, as many voters feel that their own concerns about jobs, security, and sovereignty are being sidelined in favor of policies that prioritize non-citizens.