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(AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered the Justice Department to end its reliance on private prisons and recognize the central role the government plays in implementing discriminatory housing policies.
In remarks before signing the orders, Biden said the US government needed to change “its whole approach” to the issue of racial equity. He added that the nation is less prosperous and less secure because of the scourge of systemic racism.
“We have to change now,” the president said. “I know it’s going to take time, but I know we can do it. And I firmly believe that the nation is ready to change. But the government must also change.
Biden took the presidency during a year of intense reflection on institutional racism in the United States. The measures announced on Tuesday reflect his efforts to follow through on campaign promises to end racial injustice.
In addition to calling on the Justice Department to curb the use of private prisons and address housing discrimination, the new orders will recommit the federal government to respect tribal sovereignty and disavow discrimination against Asian American and Pacific Islander community due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden asked the Department of Housing and Urban Development in a memorandum to take steps to promote a fair housing policy. The memo calls on HUD to examine the effects of Trump’s regulatory actions that may have undermined fair housing policies and laws.
Months before the November election, the Trump administration rolled back an Obama-era rule that required communities seeking HUD funding to document and report patterns of racial bias.
The order to end reliance on private prisons directs the Attorney General not to renew Justice Department contracts with private criminal detention facilities. This decision will effectively return the Department of Justice to the same position it had at the end of the Obama administration.
“It’s a first step to stop corporations from profiting from incarceration,” Biden said.
The more than 14,000 federal inmates housed in private facilities represent a fraction of the approximately 152,000 federal inmates currently incarcerated.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons had already chosen not to renew some private prison contracts in recent months as inmate numbers dwindled and thousands of people were confined to their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic.
GEO Group, a private company that runs federal prisons, called the Biden order “a solution in search of a problem. “
“In light of the measures the BOP had previously announced, today’s executive order represents only a political statement, which could result in serious unintended negative consequences, including the loss of hundreds of jobs and an adverse economic impact. for the communities where our facilities are located, which are already struggling economically due to the COVID pandemic,” a GEO Group spokesperson said in a statement.
David Fathi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Prison Project, noted that the order does not end the federal government’s reliance on private immigration detention centers.
“The order signed today is an important first step toward acknowledging the harm that has been caused and taking action to fix it, but President Biden has an obligation to do more, especially given his history and of its promises,” said Fathi.
Rashad Robinson, president of the national racial justice organization Color of Change, expressed disappointment that the police were not addressed in the executive action.
“President Biden’s executive orders not to renew contracts with for-profit prisons and to investigate housing discrimination caused by Trump administration policies are important steps forward, but do not go far enough” , said Robinson, who noted that he had hoped Biden would have moved on. to reinstate an Obama-era policy prohibiting the transfer of military equipment to local police departments.
The memorandum highlighting xenophobia against Asian Americans is largely a reaction to what White House officials say is offensive and dangerous rhetoric from the Trump administration. Trump, throughout the pandemic, has repeatedly used xenophobic language in public comments when referring to the coronavirus.
This memorandum will ask health and human services officials to consider issuing guidance outlining best practices for advancing cultural competence and sensitivity toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the federal government’s response. to COVID-19. It also directs the Department of Justice to partner with AAPI communities to prevent hate crimes and harassment.
The executive’s latest actions come after Biden on Monday signed an order reversing a Trump-era Pentagon policy that largely banned transgender people from serving in the military. Last week, he signed an order reversing Trump’s ban on travelers from several predominantly Muslim and African countries.
Last week, Biden also ordered his administration’s law enforcement and intelligence officials to study the threat of domestic violent extremism in the United States, an undertaking launched weeks after a crowd of insurgents loyal to Trump, some linked to white supremacist groups, have taken the United States by storm. Capitol.
White House domestic policy adviser Susan Rice said Biden sees addressing equity issues as good for the nation’s bottom line as well. She cited a Citigroup study from last year that found US gross domestic product lost $16 trillion over the past 20 years due to discriminatory practices in various areas, including education and access to business loans. The same study finds that the US economy would be boosted by $5 trillion over the next five years if it tackled issues of discrimination in areas such as education and access to business loans.
“Building a fairer economy is essential if Americans are to compete and prosper in the 21st century,” Rice added.
Biden’s victory over Trump in several battleground states, including Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, was fueled by strong black voter turnout.
Throughout his campaign and his transition, Biden has promised that his administration will keep equity issues — as well as climate change, another issue he sees as an existential crisis — in the shaping of all considerations. policies.
Biden, who has delivered on his original promise to choose a woman to serve as vice president, has also sought to shine a light on the diversity of his Cabinet selections.
On Monday, the Senate confirmed Biden’s pick for Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who is the first woman to lead the department. Last week, the Senate confirmed Lloyd Austin as the nation’s first black secretary of defense.
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Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo and Aaron Morrison contributed to this report.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
