FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 6, 2021

CONTACT INFORMATION
James C. Woo
404.585.8446 x 104
jwoo@advancingjustice-atlanta.org

Atlanta, GA —On Day One, President Biden fulfilled several campaign promises by issuing executive orders and memoranda on immigrant-related actions. The actions come at the heels of tireless advocacy of immigrant communities and advocates to provide actions on racial equality, complete count on the census, reversing discriminatory bans, protecting dreamers and other immigrants, and more.

One in ten Georgians were born in another country, while about 7 percent of residents are native-born U.S. citizens with at least one immigrant parent. With a rapidly growing immigrant community, Georgia will be greatly impacted by the changes to come from the Biden Administration.

The Georgia Immigrant Rights Alliance (GIRA), a statewide policy table led by immigrant communities across Georgia, releases the following statement:

Glory Kilanko, Founder and Executive Director, Women Watch Afrika: “These executive orders include a pathway to citizenship for millions of people, a restructured U.S. refugee resettlement program, and the No Ban Act, which prohibits discrimination based on religion.” This provides much-needed relief for our communities that no longer have to live under the discriminatory Muslim Ban or the threat of DACA termination. We applaud his actions as it marks an end to destructive policies that have torn families apart over the last four years. 

Pedro Viloria, Advocacy & Field Lead, Latino Community Fund of Georgia: “With this round of Executive Orders, the Biden administration declares to the immigrant community, from Day One, that it is committed to enacting rapid, ambitious and overdue transformative change. However, this is only the first step towards addressing and dismantling the years of systematic injustice and indifference that have sabotaged our communities for generations. Now more than ever, it is important that we hold our elected officials accountable for intentional advocacy and legislation in favor of the immigrant community and its interests.”

Murtaza Khwaja, Legal & Policy Director, CAIR Georgia: “President Biden has now affirmed that the prior administration’s bigoted policies have no place in today’s America. 

However, much work remains. Muslims, immigrants and Black Americans both within and outside Islam, bore the brunt of these racist, xenophobic, and discriminatory policies and will continue to face their effects. These Executive Orders are a step forward in the struggle against Islamophobia, anti-Black discrimination, and xenophobia, but they are not the end of the struggle. Georgia Muslims and our community partners remain steadfast in our advocacy of the inherent dignity of all people —of all races, all faiths, and all backgrounds—and in our protection of the rights and civil liberties of all.” 

As members and allies of immigrant communities across the state, we are excited about today's historic actions and are prepared to continue to defend families here in our own backyard. There is a long path before us to make Georgia a better place for immigrant communities. We urge local and state elected officials to follow the example that President Biden has set and proactively work to protect and nurture ALL Georgians. 

The  executive orders called for:

• Advancing Racial Equity

  • Advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.
    

• Ensuring a Lawful and Accurate Enumeration and Apportionment Pursuant to the Decennial Census

  • Revokes the prior Administration’s orders setting out an unlawful plan to exclude noncitizens from the census and apportionment of Congressional representatives. President Biden will ensure that the Census Bureau has time to complete an accurate population count for each state
    

• Reversing Discriminatory Bans

  • Repeals Proclamations 9645 and 9983, which restrict entry into the United States from primarily Muslim and African countries, and instructs the State Department to: restart visa processing for affected countries, swiftly develop a proposal to restore fairness, and remedy the harms caused by the bans, especially for individuals stuck in the waiver process and those who had immigrant visas denied
    

• Repealing Trump Interior Enforcement EO

  • Allows the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies to set civil immigration enforcement policies that best protect the American people and are in line with our values and priorities
    

• Terminating Border Wall Construction Emergency Declaration

  • Directs an immediate pause in wall construction projects to allow a close review of the legality of the funding and contracting methods used, and to determine the best way to redirect funds that were diverted by the prior Administration to fund wall construction
    

• Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians

  • Extends until June 30, 2022 under a Presidential Memorandum the long-standing Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) designation for Liberians who have been in the United States for many years
    

• Protect Dreamers

  • Calls on Congress to adopt legislation to grant permanent status and a path to citizenship to Dreamers- about 700,000 undocumented young individuals who were brought to the country as children and shielded from deportation by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

The Georgia Immigrant Rights Alliance (GIRA) is a statewide policy table led by immigrant communities across Georgia. The purpose of this alliance is to safeguard the rights of Georgian immigrants to create a more equal and just Georgia for immigrants, especially in the context of ongoing discriminatory treatment and targeting of these communities. 

Members of GIRA

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Asian American Advocacy Fund

Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition

Asian Youth for Civic Engagement

The Council on American-Islamic Relations - Georgia

Coalición de Líderes Latinos

Federation of Korean American Association of South East &  Korean Chamber

Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials 

Georgia Familias Unidas

Georgia Muslim Voter Project

Korean American Coalition - Atlanta

Laotian American Society

Latino Community Fund - Georgia

Refugee Women’s Network

Southeast Immigrant Rights Network

Southern Poverty Law Center

Wake Up Atlanta 

Women Watch Afrika 

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is the first nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities in Georgia and the Southeast. For more information about Advancing Justice-Atlanta, visit https://advancingjustice-atlanta.org.