Immigration advocates say pardons should also be granted to undocumented immigrants who were not only incarcerated, but also deported on cannabis charges after spending most of their lives working and living in the United States.

This coming week, more than 130 advocacy groups, including the National Immigration Project, say they plan to send a letter to Biden calling for the inclusion of refugees, asylum seekers and visa holders with marijuana convictions. The letter follows their 2021 call for a legislative remedy for the 48,000 immigrants who were deported for federal marijuana possession between 2003 and 2020, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

The National Immigration Project, in partnership with advocacy groups, including the National Immigrant Justice Center, Immigrant Legal Resource Center and the Drug Policy Alliance are pushing for the New Way Forward Act, which would remove legislative barriers that currently prevent Black and brown communities from receiving pardons.