President Joe Biden is preparing to introduce a new policy aimed at safeguarding hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses of American citizens from deportation, as per sources within the administration. Immigration has posed a significant challenge for Mr. Biden in an election year, prompting him to issue a comprehensive executive order to address the surge in migrant arrivals at the US-Mexico border.
 |
| Despite withering criticism, President Joe Biden has vowed to make the US immigration system "more just" |
The upcoming policy will be applicable to individuals who have resided in the United States for a minimum of 10 years, granting them the ability to work legally in the country. The administration estimates that over 500,000 spouses will benefit from this initiative.
Mr. Biden has expressed his commitment to reforming the US immigration system to ensure greater fairness and justice. Recent polls indicate that immigration is a top concern for many voters leading up to the presidential election in November. Additionally, the White House anticipates that around 50,000 young individuals under the age of 21, whose parent is married to an American citizen, will also benefit from this new policy.
This marks the most substantial relief effort for undocumented migrants already residing in the US since the introduction of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) program by the Obama administration in 2012. The announcement precedes an event scheduled for Tuesday commemorating the 12th anniversary of Daca, which shielded over 530,000 migrants, known as Dreamers, from deportation. Senior administration officials revealed on Monday that undocumented spouses of US citizens would be eligible if they meet the criteria of having lived in the country for a decade and being married as of 17 June.
Those meeting the requirements will have a three-year window to apply for permanent residency and will be granted a three-year work permit. The White House estimates that, on average, eligible individuals have been in the US for 23 years, with a majority being born in Mexico.
They will be granted "parole in place" status, allowing them to stay in the US while their immigration status is adjusted. NumbersUSA, an organization advocating for stricter immigration controls, criticized the new policy as "unconscionable." James Massa, the organization's CEO, stated that the policy was misguided and failed to address the core issues at hand.
The White House is also planning to ease and speed up the visa process for highly skilled undocumented immigrants who have received degrees from US universities or who have received a job offer in their field, including Dreamers.
Mr Biden's announcement comes two weeks after he issued a sweeping executive action that allows US officials to quickly remove migrants entering the US illegally without processing their asylum requests.
That will happen once a daily threshold is met and the border is "overwhelmed", the White House said in a statement.
The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, sued the Biden administration last week, arguing that it violated US immigration law with the action.
At the time of the announcement, Mr Biden urged those who consider the measure "too strict" to "be patient".
"[In] the weeks ahead, I will speak to how we can make our immigration system more fair and just," he said.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, said that while the two announcements "don't intersect with each other at all", the more recent action may help the administration "get some positive headlines after the pushback" they received over the border announcement.
"The Biden administration has been receiving a lot of flak from people saying that their focus has all been on new arrivals, when there are so many long-term undocumented immigrants stuck trying to navigate our complicated immigration system," he added.
"I think the actions you've seen the president taking over the last few weeks really go towards addressing both those concerns," Mr Reichlin-Melnick added.