Democratic President Joe Biden's fast motions to reform federal immigration policy will have a significant impact on Arizona, which has a sizable population of undocumented immigrants.
Among a flurry of executive orders that Biden signed was a directive to protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. His administration has also ordered that deportations and immigration-related arrests be curtailed.
The executive order calls on federal officials to "preserve and fortify" the DACA program. Meanwhile, a separate memo authored by David Pekoske, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), directs U.S. immigration agencies to focus on enforcement based on "protecting national security, border security, and public safety." People who have engaged in or are suspected of terrorism or espionage will be prioritized by immigration authorities, as well as individuals apprehended at the border or ports of entry while trying to enter the U.S. illegally, and people who have been convicted of an "'aggravated felony'" and were released from prison or jail, the memo states. The directive also mandated a "review of policies and practices concerning immigration enforcement" and a "100-day pause on certain removals."