As we look back on 2023, there were many times when immigration seemed to dominate the headlines of major newspapers. This prevalence of immigration discourse in the media is likely due in part to controversial immigration legislation.
But, what actually happened with immigration on a governmental level this year? And more importantly, what can we learn from this year to help us more effectively address immigration issues in years to come?
In short, 2023 was not a year of landmark immigration reform. Policies from both political parties tended to focus on short-term solutions. For example, on Jan. 5, the White House announced plans to extend parole to Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans. Parole is a meaningful step toward providing undocumented immigrants the ability to legally remain in the U.S., but it is still not an immigration status and falls short of addressing underlying issues within the immigration system.
A couple of months later came the long-anticipated end of Title 42, a Trump-era immigration restriction that was implemented on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. With the lifting of this restriction, the Department of Homeland Security expected a surge in migration that the “outdated system [was] not designed to handle.”
To address the expected surge, the government introduced even more band-aid solutions. These solutions came in the form of a five-year ban on applying for asylum for illegal border crossings, a rule requiring migrants to first seek asylum in another country and the Secure the Border Act of 2023, which aimed to increase border security.
What was crucially missing from immigration policy in 2023 was meaningful reform.
Kaci Bishop, a clinical professor of law and director of the Immigration Clinic at UNC, said that Congress has “not passed any reform for many, many years” and there are many aspects of the immigration system that “need attention.”
Bishop acknowledged that short-term solutions, such as temporary work permissions can have positive impacts. For example, these programs give immigrants legal employment authorization and increased stability because they can’t be removed from the country.
Bishop also highlighted problems that may arise if immigrants do not have long-term legal statuses. “There’s no guarantee that TPS will be renewed,” she said. “There’s no guarantee that parole or deferred action would be renewed.” If these programs aren’t renewed, people who give their information to authorities to obtain these statuses are put at the mercy of immigration enforcement. Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election, has promised to crack down on immigration, making this scenario all the more plausible.
