When a parent and their child are forcibly separated by hundreds of miles, every second apart is excruciating—and every delay is torture, no matter the justification.

That urgency is what immigration advocates, attorneys and activists are increasingly anxious to convey to President Joe Biden after he signed three executive orders relating to immigration on Tuesday evening. The orders each begin a long and complex process to dismantle his predecessor’s defining policy legacy, but those advocating for major reform are concerned that when the well-being of children is at stake, Biden’s deliberative approach could have disastrous consequences.

The uncertainty in the meantime could “further destabilize” families that have already barely survived the past four years of hostile immigration policy, said Leah Chavla, a senior policy advisor in the Migrant Rights and Justice program at the Women’s Refugee Commission.

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