Washington – President Biden delivered a large-scale immigration program that will provide legal status and a streamlined path to U.S. residency and citizenship for approximately half a million unauthorized immigrants married to U.S. citizens.
If CBS News reported this earlierThe Department of Homeland Security policy, known as “Parole in Place,” will allow these immigrants to apply for work permits and deportation protection if they have lived in the U.S. for at least ten years and meet other requirements. The program still requires undocumented spouses to submit the necessary paperwork and pass a criminal background check, and does not apply to prospective immigrants. The president said the actions he announced Tuesday will take effect “later this summer.”
“Today I am announcing a common-sense solution to streamline the process of obtaining legal status for immigrants married to long-time and resident American citizens,” the president said from the White House. “For those women or husbands and their children who have lived in America for a decade or more but are undocumented, this action will allow them to file the paperwork for legal status in the United States.”
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Administration officials estimate that approximately 500,000 unauthorized immigrants with spouses of U.S. citizens will be eligible for the Parole in Place program. Applicants must be legally married to their U.S. citizen spouse by June 17. Those deemed to pose a threat to national security or public safety are not eligible.
The Department of Homeland Security said the spouses who would benefit from the program have been in the country for an average of 23 years.
The president’s announcement came during an event marking the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Implemented by President Barack Obama, DACA provided protection from deportation for hundreds of thousands of minors brought to the U.S. as children, known as “Dreamers.” Last year, a federal judge in Texas ruled that the DACA program is unlawful, barring the acceptance of new applications.
Biden’s new program is expected to pave the way for many of its beneficiaries to permanent residency — known as a green card — and eventually U.S. citizenship. If upheld in court, the policy would be the largest government program to protect undocumented immigrants since DACA.
An immigrant who marries a U.S. citizen is generally eligible for a green card. But current federal law requires immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally to leave the country and reenter legally to qualify for a green card. Leaving the US after living in the country illegally for a certain period of time can result in a 10-year ban, preventing many mixed-status families from continuing this process.
The Biden administration’s policy would allow eligible immigrants to obtain a green card without having to leave the US. After living in the US for five years as a green card holder, immigrants can apply for US citizenship.
The president condemned his predecessor and 2024 opponent and emphasized that the U.S. can both secure the border and provide pathways to citizenship.
“The Statue of Liberty is not a relic of American history,” Biden said. ‘It stands and still stands for who we are. But I also refuse to believe that if we want to remain an America that embraces immigration, we must give up securing our borders. They are false choices. We can both ensure safety. border and legal pathways to citizenship. We must recognize that the patience and goodwill of the American people are being tested by their fears at the border. These are the fears that my pastor is trying to understand.”
