Nationwide –The Value Our Families Coalition and the members it serves greeted the Presidential Proclamation issued by President Biden, which overturns former president Trumps ban on green cards and diversity visas with joy and tremendous relief.

The Presidential Proclamation revoked Proclamation 10014, section 1 of Proclamation 10052, and section 1 of Proclamation 10131. These proclamations, referred to by our coalition as the Immigration Ban and signed by the former President, separated and harmed families by banning thousands of immigrants from accessing visas and green cards. The ban impacted most family-based visas, diversity visas and some employment-based and nonimmigrant visas. The rescission was particularly timely and important because the clock was running out on diversity visa applicants to obtain their visas. In FY2020, around 100,000 family-based visas were lost due to the ban and the operation of the numerical limits on visas.

Diana Konate, Policy Director with African Communities Together issued the following:

We applaud President Biden’s rescission of the previous administration’s racist immigration ban. Today’s proclamation means that more families will be able to be reunited and the Muslim and African bans have truly been lifted..

The successful diversity visa program is a primary pathway for African immigrants to come to the U.S. as is the family-based immigration system. We now urge the administration to swiftly process the visas for diversity visa applicants and family-based petitions.

The Value Our Families coalition advocated for the administration to rescind this ban alongside the No Muslim Ban Ever campaign, the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association, and other organizations. It is a network of local and national community-based and advocacy organizations who reject attacks and proposed harmful changes to our current family-based immigration system. We work together to build public support for an immigration system that protects and promotes family unity and contributes to the American social and economic fabric.

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