Biden will lose the support of eligible immigrant voters without humane border policies

Pennsylvania is a crucial swing state in the 2024 election. Nearly 500,000 eligible immigrant voters will soon join their Pennsylvanian neighbors at the ballot box. But support will be earned through action, not words. And everyone in our community, regardless of their immigration status or age, registered to vote or not, is watching the actions of President Joe Biden right now.

As advocates and community leaders in Pennsylvania, we have been disappointed to witness Biden caving to anti-immigrant extremists by passing harmful policies that further endanger immigrant families. It’s time for the president to reject xenophobia and instead pass policies that would support immigrants and uplift our state. He can begin first by shutting down the four immigrant detention centers in our region: Pike, Clinton, Elizabeth, and Moshannon Valley.

In 2020, Biden campaigned on overturning Trump-era immigration policies, yet over the last three years, the Biden administration has expanded detention and deportation efforts that separate families and cause lasting trauma.

Just last December, we mourned the tragic loss of Frankline Okpu, a beloved husband and father from Cameroon who died in the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Central Pennsylvania. Deportation likewise threatens Linda, a mother of two who is now facing an order of deportation after spending 13 months with her son in the Berks County Residential Center, a former prison for immigrant families. Linda’s 7-year-old daughter and husband are both U.S. citizens.

Biden, with the support of Pennsylvania U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, is also now aiming to restart or expand some of Donald Trump’s most extreme anti-asylum policies. Biden has even asked Trump to work with him to build support for border legislation.

These policies have devastating consequences for immigrants, refugees, and all people seeking safety and peace. They break up families and contribute to a climate of fear. Instead of using his executive power to protect and support the people who are contributing to our nation’s prosperity, Biden is increasingly echoing dangerous beliefs and pursuing regulations that harm our neighbors, colleagues, family members, and friends.

The majority of American voters support a fair, balanced approach to immigration.

The president should be aware that endangering immigrant families will only further alienate voters and drive this nation backward. The majority of American voters support a fair, balanced approach to immigration and popular solutions like pathways to citizenship for longtime undocumented immigrants. Turning your back on people seeking safety and peace is rejecting the values you say you uphold, and risks turning voters away.

But it is not too late. Biden still has time to advance humane policy solutions that would benefit Pennsylvania’s communities. We urge the administration to halt all deportations and end the contracts between detention centers and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Begin with shutting down the Moshannon Valley, Pike, and Clinton detention centers in Pennsylvania, and the Elizabeth detention center in New Jersey. Support asylum-seekers by reversing the May 2023 executive order requiring them to seek asylum in another country first, and instruct immigration officials to use their discretion to close pending and active deportation orders.

We also call on Biden to strengthen the few existing pathways for immigrants to come to the U.S. — including by recapturing unused green cards. Every year, thousands of green cards that could be used to reunite families and bring workers to the U.S. go to waste because of processing delays, technical errors, and funding shortages.

By ending detention and deportation, implementing commonsense and humane regulations, and recapturing green cards, Biden can allow immigrants to continue to thrive in our communities. With a declining and aging population, the reality is that Pennsylvania needs more immigrants.

Every day, we see how immigrants uplift our state and economy by starting businesses, filling essential jobs, and contributing billions of dollars in taxes. Immigrants also enrich Pennsylvania through serving in faith communities, pursuing higher education, maintaining community safety, and giving back in countless other ways. Immigrants help our communities grow, and immigrants make Pennsylvania stronger.

Showing up for the immigrant community is not only what’s right, but it is politically wise. The president shouldn’t waste another moment: Biden should take action today to support the hardworking immigrant families who seek to contribute to our nation’s tapestry of diversity and strength for the sake of Pennsylvania. When we are united and welcoming, we can all build the future this nation deserves.

Jasmine Rivera serves as the interim executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition, a statewide immigrant rights organization. Tsehaitu Abye serves as the Pennsylvania director for African Communities Together, an advocacy group for African immigrants.