A lot of folks (with different policy views) seem surprised that Pres-elect Biden and his advisers are saying their efforts to terminate Pres. Trump's immigration policies will not be instantaneous.

I find that misguided for several reasons. A thread 1/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-limit-ice-deporatations-trump-border-policies/

Was there ever a realistic expectation that Biden would undo Trump's legacy on Day 1?

Trump issued 400 + executive actions on immigration, per @MigrationPolicy. More are on the way.

They range from green card rules and pandemic visa limits, to several asylum restrictions. 2/

Trump's changes were implemented via memos (ICE arrest priorities, Remain-in-Mexico); proclamations (refugee cap, travel ban, COVID visa limits); regulations (public charge, asylum bans); and international deals (Remain-in-Mexico, safe 3rd country deals).

There are many more. 3/

On paper, some of these policies are easier to rescind than others (policy memos v regulations).

Logistically, some are more difficult to change / end (Remain-in-Mexico because of current asylum processing and refugee admissions because of the decimated resettlement system). 4/

The pandemic has limited refugee, asylum and visa processing.

Covid-19 will continue to be an issue for Biden in his attempts to bolster asylum and refugee capacity, and in deciding whether to lift limits on immigrant / work visas (which Trump enacted on economic grounds). 5/

This is not a typical GOP to Dem administration transition.

Trump's advisers challenged areas of bipartisan consensus on immigration, like refugee resettlement, and were laser focused on implementing their restrictionist vision via various agencies, DHS, DOJ, State, DOL, etc. 6/

Biden's pledges, regardless of the time it takes to fulfill them, represent significant departures from Trump's immigration positions (most of them).

The reversal of the public charge rules will affect many, a 100-day deportation moratorium would be unprecedented for ICE ... 7/

Numerous Trump asylum policies collectively allow the US to bounce asylum-seekers off US soil and severely narrow eligibility.

Biden has pledged to undo many of them (MPP, asylum restrictions for victims of gang, domestic violence) and will probably undo more not yet named. 8/

Biden's advisers said Remain-in-Mexico & other border policies will not be reversed immediately. That has real consequences for migrants.

But they also pledged to start asylum processing at border ports, focusing on "the most vulnerable"—that's a shift from current practice. 9/

Despite all his changes, Trump was not able to undo all the Obama-era or pre-Trump policies he disagreed with in 4 years (DACA, TPS, family-based immigration).

Biden will probably also not be able to fully dismantle Trump's immigration legacy—and certainly not immediately. end/

Oh, and I didn't even get into the issues of litigation, which hampered Pres. Trump's immigration agenda, and administrative law, which Pres-elect Biden would have follow to undo many of these policies. See below: https://twitter.com/BradKutner/status/1341753651732353025?s=20