Biden Will Grant Legal Status To 500,000 Undocumented US Citizens’ Spouses

In the midst of immigration reforms, Biden has proposed protection for illegal spouses of US citizens, providing work permits and a road to residency.

Administration officials said that President Joe Biden is going to announce a new policy that will shield hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses of US citizens from deportation.

The new law will permit them to work lawfully in the US if they have lived there for ten years or longer. With the introduction of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program by the Obama administration in 2012, this project represents the largest relief program for undocumented migrants in the US.

The White House estimates that the program will help over 500,000 US citizen spouses as well as 50,000 children under 21 whose parents are US citizens. Biden promised to make the US immigration system “more fair and just” earlier this month.

Voters’ top fear, according to polls, is immigration as the November presidential election draws near. The announcement comes ahead of a celebration marking the 12-year anniversary of DACA on Tuesday. DACA shielded over 530,000 immigrants, sometimes known as Dreamers, from deportation when they entered the country as minors.

Senior administration officials clarified on Monday that undocumented spouses of US citizens would be eligible if they were married on June 17 and had been residents of the nation for at least ten years. Those who meet the requirements will be given a work visa valid for three years in addition to three years to apply for permanent residency. According to White House estimates, most eligible individuals were born in Mexico and have lived in the US for an average of 23 years. While their status is changed, they will be allowed to stay in the US and be “paroled in place.”

NumbersUSA, a group that supports more stringent immigration laws, denounced the new law as “unconscionable.” The organization’s CEO, James Massa, attacked the idea, charging Biden with abusing his executive power and working around Congress to award illegal immigrants amnesty.

While the measure impacts a “narrow group,” according to immigration lawyer and Case Western Reserve University professor Alex Cuic, it is a “start” for a portion of the immigrant population that has previously faced difficulties normalizing their status. Cuic pointed out that when one spouse needs to leave the country in order to petition for lawful permanent residence, it avoids the need to split up families by allowing beneficiaries to parole in place.