President Biden Announces Immigration Program for Unauthorized Immigrant Spouses of U.S. Citizens
President Biden Announces Immigration Program for Unauthorized Immigrant Spouses of U.S. Citizens
In a groundbreaking move, President Biden unveiled a large-scale immigration program that will provide legal status and a streamlined path to U.S. residency and citizenship for approximately 500,000 unauthorized immigrants who are married to American citizens. The Department of Homeland Security policy, known as “Parole in Place,” will allow eligible immigrants to apply for work permits and deportation protections if they have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years and meet other requirements.
The president emphasized the importance of this program during an event at the White House, stating, “Today I’m announcing a common sense fix to streamline the process for obtaining legal status for immigrants married to American citizens who have lived here for a long time.” The initiative aims to provide a pathway to permanent residency and ultimately U.S. citizenship for many of its beneficiaries.
The announcement comes on the heels of the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which offered deportation protections for minors brought to the U.S. as children. President Biden’s new program is expected to be the largest government initiative to protect undocumented migrants since DACA, potentially unlocking opportunities for hundreds of thousands of individuals.
Critics of the program argue that it undermines existing immigration laws, which require immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally to leave the country and re-enter legally to be eligible for a green card. However, the Biden administration’s policy would allow eligible immigrants to obtain a green card without having to depart the U.S., offering a more accessible route to citizenship.
In his address, President Biden also took aim at his predecessor and 2024 opponent, emphasizing the need to balance border security with providing legal pathways to citizenship. He stated, “The Statue of Liberty is not some relic of American history. It stands, still stands, for who we are. But I also refuse to believe that for us to continue to be America that embraces immigration, we have to give up securing our border.”
The implementation of this program is set to take effect later this summer, marking a significant step forward in the administration’s efforts to reform the U.S. immigration system and provide relief to mixed-status families.
