WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday proposed sweeping new legislation that would overhaul the country’s immigration system, part of a broader effort to signal his administration considers the issue a priority even as it prepares to grapple with an ongoing pandemic and economy that has lost tens of millions of jobs.
Biden also issued a series of executive actions to ease immigration restrictions, using the first hours of his presidency to immediately reverse many of the policies enacted by former President Donald Trump.
Coupled with the legislative proposal, the executive actions signal how Biden plans a new direction for the country’s immigration policy, one that emphasizes a less restrictive approach to immigrants and what White House officials call a more humane approach to border security.
