Biden revokes Trump bans on many green card applicants, temporary foreign workers

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday revoked a proclamation from his predecessor that blocked many green card applicants and temporary foreign workers from entering the United States. Former President Donald Trump issued the bans last year, saying they were needed to protect U.S. workers amid high unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic. Biden rejected that reasoning in a proclamation on Wednesday rescinding the visa bans.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday revoked a proclamation from his predecessor that blocked many green card applicants and temporary foreign workers from entering the United States. Former President Donald Trump issued the bans last year, saying they were needed to protect U.S. workers amid high unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden rejected that reasoning in a proclamation on Wednesday rescinding the visa bans. The Democratic president said they had prevented families from reuniting in the United States and harmed U.S. businesses. Biden, a Democrat, has pledged to reverse many of Trump's hardline immigration policies. Immigrant advocates had pressed in recent weeks for him to lift the visas bans, which were set to expire on March 31.

In October, a federal judge in California blocked Trump’s ban on foreign guest workers as it affected hundreds of thousands of U.S. businesses that fought the policy in court.