On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced that his administration will not deport many illegal immigrants who are married to US citizens or whose parent is married to a US citizen.
According to the White House, this means approximately 500,000 spouses of US citizens and 50,000 children will not face deportation. They will also have the opportunity to pursue legal status within the United States without having to leave the country.
The new program, administered by the Department of Homeland Security, will cover illegal adults who have resided in the US for at least 10 years as of June 17 and are married to a US citizen.
Biden will read a teleprompter on Tuesday afternoon during an event to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program launched under President Barack Obama while Biden was VP.
As of September 30, 2023, there were 544,690 migrants granted protection under the program.
Whose vote is Biden courting here?
According to the White House, the new program “will promote family unity and strengthen our economy, providing a significant benefit to the country and helping U.S. citizens and their noncitizen family members stay together.”
Usually, individuals who enter the country illegally must depart and obtain legal status before returning to the United States.
Illegal immigration has surged under President Biden, with 2.4 million encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2023 alone. On June 4, the Democratic president signed an order suspending asylum requests when the daily encounters with illegal immigrants at the southern border exceeded 2,500 on average. During the announcement, he also suggested there would be further actions to aid illegal immigrants.
“In the weeks ahead—and I mean the weeks ahead—I will speak to how we can make our immigration system more fair and more just,” he stated at the time.
The requirements for the new program indicate that it will apply to individuals deeply integrated into communities across the nation. On average, those eligible for the process have lived in the United States for 23 years, as reported by the White House.
“President Biden believes that securing the border is essential. He also believes in expanding lawful pathways and keeping families together, and that immigrants who have been in the United States for decades, paying taxes and contributing to their communities, are part of the social fabric of our country,” according to the White House statement.
The president also announced that his administration is streamlining the process for DACA recipients who have earned college degrees and received job offers from US businesses to obtain work visas.
The announcement received praise from supporters who believe the program will be a relief for those impacted.
“An estimated 55,000 immigrants in the Houston area are married to U.S. citizens and many of them will now be able to live, work, and raise a family without the fear of deportation,” Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) said in a statement.
Others criticized the decision.
Stephen Miller, a key immigration adviser during the Trump administration, labeled it on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), as an “unconstitutional amnesty for illegal aliens.”
Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) stated that the program could encourage further illegal immigration and may face legal challenges.
On Monday, former President Trump declared on his Truth Social platform that he managed a secure border but blamed President Biden for its deterioration. He vowed to rectify the situation if elected in November.
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