On January 20, President Biden released a legislative proposal to reform the nation’s immigration system. The proposal is separate from presidential actions halting construction of the southern border wall or preserving and fortifying Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The DACA program had been under considerable attack from the Trump Administration and in the courts. The EO attempts to provide greater certainty while Congress makes permanent changes. The other important program to the construction industry, Temporary Protective Status (TPS) program, is in less urgent need of executive action as it was previously extended through October 4, 2021 by the Trump Administration. There are more than 100,000 construction workers estimated to work in the industry with the TPS and DACA programs.
Legislation to reform the broader immigration system faces considerable headwinds but Biden has presented a proposal. The plan as presented to Congress would create a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented individuals and those in DACA and TPS through a multi-year process if individuals pay taxes, pass background checks, and meet other requirements. AGC looks forward to working with Congress on immigration reform that strengthens national security, functions efficiently and fairly, and addresses future workforce needs, and AGC hopes that Congress and the Biden Administration avoid the pitfalls that previous attempts in reforming our nation’s immigration laws have faced.