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Jimmy Williams
President Joe Biden on Tuesday introduced a major immigration initiative aimed at granting legal status and a streamlined path to U.S. residency and citizenship to approximately 500,000 unauthorized immigrants married to American citizens.
The Department of Homeland Security’s new policy, known as “Parole in Place,” will allow these immigrants to apply for work permits and deportation protections, provided they have resided in the U.S. for at least 10 years and meet other requirements. To qualify, applicants must file the necessary paperwork, pass a criminal background check, and have been legally married to their American citizen spouse by June 17. The program is set to take effect later this summer and does not apply to future migrants.
“Today I’m announcing a common sense fix to streamline the process for obtaining legal status for immigrants married to American citizens who live here and have lived here for a long time,” Biden said during the announcement at the White House. “For those wives 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.”
Administration officials estimate that the spouses benefiting from the program have been in the country for an average of 23 years. Applicants deemed to pose a threat to national security or public safety will not qualify.
Biden’s announcement coincided with the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which offers deportation protections for minors brought to the U.S. as children, known as “Dreamers.” DACA, implemented by President Barack Obama, was deemed unlawful by a federal judge in Texas last year, barring new applications.
The new program is expected to pave the way for permanent residency (a green card) and ultimately U.S. citizenship for many beneficiaries. If upheld in court, it would be the largest government initiative to protect undocumented migrants since DACA.
Under current federal law, immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally must leave the country and re-enter legally to be eligible for a green card. This process often triggers a 10-year ban, discouraging many mixed-status families from pursuing legal status. The Biden administration’s policy allows eligible immigrants to obtain a green card without leaving the U.S., and after five years of living as a green card holder, they can apply for American citizenship.
President Biden criticized former President Trump, asserting that the U.S. can simultaneously secure its borders and provide pathways to citizenship. “The Statue of Liberty is not some relic of American history,” Biden said. “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. They’re false choices. We can both secure the border and provide legal pathways to citizenship.”
