Biden reverses Trump actions on green cards, architecture

Biden reverses Trump actions on green cards
Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House, 24 February 2021. Source: AP
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Daily US Times: President Biden has formally reversed a series of executive actions taken by his predecessor Donald Trump, including entering the United States to a proclamation that blocked many applicants for green cards.

Former President Donald Trump issued the ban on green cards last year, saying it was needed to protect US workers amid high unemployment due to the Covid pandemic. Joe Biden rejected that reasoning in a proclamation rescinding the visa ban on Wednesday.

Mr Biden said it had prevented families from reuniting in the US and harmed US businesses.

Other actions undone by the president Biden included one that sought to cut funding from several cities Trump had deemed “anarchist jurisdictions” and “lawless”, and another mandating that federal buildings should be designed in a classical aesthetic.

The reversals come as Mr Biden seeks to press forward with his own agenda and undo key aspects of Trump’s legacy. Since taking office last month, Biden has revoked dozens of Trump orders and issued dozens more of his own.

In recent weeks, immigrant advocates had pressed for him to lift the visa ban, which was set to expire on 31 March.

Joe Biden left in place another ban on most foreign temporary workers.

Curtis Morrison, a California-based immigration attorney who represents people subject to the ban, said president Biden will now have to tackle a growing backlog of applications that have been held up for months as the coronavirus pandemic shut down most visa processing by the state department. The process could potentially take years, he said.

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