Senator Markey has consistently worked to defend immigrant and refugee communities in Massachusetts and across the country. He has tirelessly fought for protections for Massachusetts’s TPS recipients from Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras, and elsewhere. When the Trump administration decided to end consideration of medical deferred action requests for sick immigrants, Senator Markey led the effort to reverse the administration's decision, which it did following Senator Markey’s congressional inquiry. He has fought the Trump State Department’s “public charge rule” that prevent would immigrants from receiving vital healthcare, nutritional assistance, and housing programs, and led the opposition against the Trump Homeland Security Department’s plan to collect DNA samples from migrants which he said is intended to “vilify and stigmatize immigrants.” Senator Markey has also long fought for protections for Dreamers and supports a pathway to citizenship for the millions of immigrants who are living in the shadows.

In addition to his efforts on behalf of our immigrant communities, Senator Markey has also worked to defend our refugee communities and make America a leader in refugee resettlement. As President Trump has lowered the U.S. refugee admission cap to the lowest level in decades, Senator Markey introduced the GRACE Act which would prevent any administration from setting the refugee admission ceiling below 95,000 in a given fiscal year. He also introduced first of its kind legislation to address the refugee crisis created by climate change.

In a comprehensive report, “Under the Radar: The Trump’s Administration’s Stealth Attack on the U.S. Immigration System”, the Senator documented the multiple executive orders, memoranda, guidance, rulemaking, and informal directives during the first two years of his administration that President Donald Trump has used to surreptitiously remake our immigration system.