The country now known as the United States began its history as a nation of immigrants. Its earliest inhabitants arrived here by crossing a land bridge that connected Asia to the Americas thousands of years ago. The first settlements were established in the 1500s by Europeans led by the Spanish and French, and in 1607 the English founded the first settlement in Jamestown, in the Colony of Virginia.
Many of the first settlers came to the country in search of religious freedom. The Pilgrims fled religious persecution in Europe and settled in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, followed by the Puritans, who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A large number arrived under indentured servitude, while others were brought against their will through slavery. Most immigrants, however, came in search of economic opportunity.
In the 19th century, immigration was fundamental to American history. During this period, the country encouraged immigrants to settle unpopulated areas and maintained a relatively unrestricted immigration policy until the Civil War.
Between 1900 and 1950, nearly 24 million people immigrated to the United States in what became known as “The Great Wave.” The outbreak of World War I reduced the flow of immigrants, but immigration resumed strongly after the war, leading Congress to implement a series of immigration policies. Since then, U.S. immigration policy has expanded and tightened depending on the administration in power and global events.
The current government has the political will to welcome new immigrants and regularize the immigration status of thousands of immigrants who call the United States home but remain on the margins of the system because they lack legal status. In line with that political will, Executive Order 14012 was issued on February 2, 2021.
President Biden’s Executive Order 14012 seeks to restore faith in the American immigration system and strengthen integration and inclusion for New Americans. The Executive Order recognizes the strength and importance of immigrants in the American economy and seeks to ensure that the country’s laws and domestic policies promote the integration, inclusion, and citizenship of these individuals. More specifically, the measure directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, DHS, to “identify any agency actions that fail to promote access to the legal immigration system.”
In its first paragraph, Executive Order 14012 states that more than 40 million foreign-born individuals live in the United States today and that millions of Americans are of foreign descent. It then recognizes that New Americans and their families drive the American economy across every sector through entrepreneurship, creating millions of jobs and contributing to the country’s art, culture, and diversity.
The current government recognizes the important role of immigrants in American society, both economically and culturally, and seeks to encourage public measures that reflect that recognition. However, it is crucial to understand that there is a fundamental difference between welcoming immigrants and granting benefits in violation of immigration laws. For that reason, the current government is seeking ways to welcome New Americans through changes in internal policy, proposed legislation, and executive action, while continuing to properly enforce immigration law and its consequences for those who violate or attempt to evade it.
In President Biden’s words, “Consistent with our character as a Nation of opportunity and of welcome, it is essential to ensure that our laws and policies encourage full participation by immigrants, including refugees, in our civic life.” The goal is for the federal government to develop strategies that promote the integration, inclusion, and citizenship of immigrants in order to welcome the full participation of New Americans in this nation’s democracy, and not to be permissive toward those who act in violation of the law.