Biden Opens Pathway To Citizenship For Undocumented Spouses Of Citizens.
President Joe Biden
will announce a new policy Tuesday that will make it easier for undocumented
spouses of U.S. citizens to apply for permanent residency.
The move could affect
approximately half a million spouses of U.S. citizens and 50,000 noncitizen
children who have a parent married to a U.S. citizen.
To be eligible, an
immigrant must have resided in the United States for 10 or more years and be
legally married to a U.S. citizen as of June 17, 2024, according to a White
House fact sheet.
Those approved after an
assessment of their application by the Department of Homeland Security will
have three years to apply for permanent residency. During this time, they will
be allowed to remain in the United States with their families as well as be
eligible for work authorization.
Also included in the
announcement Tuesday is a plan to accelerate the process of obtaining work
visas for certain recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
program, or DACA, who have a U.S. degree and employment offer relating to their
field.
This program will be
announced Tuesday during a White House event to commemorate the 12th
Anniversary of the DACA policy that has protected from deportation hundreds of
thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.
Biden’s policy
announcements were praised by advocates for immigrant families before Tuesday's
event.
"I applaud the
Biden-Harris administration for heeding the call of so many of us to use its
executive authority to keep American families together, support our Dreamers in
the workforce, and boost our economy,” Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat
from Texas, said in a statement.
The policy is facing
criticism from other representatives.
John Cornyn, a
Republican from Texas, said in a statement that the plan was, "another Biden
‘pull’ factor, incentivizing more illegal immigration, and guaranteeing years
of litigation.”
Earlier this month,
Biden announced an executive order that will temporarily restrict asylum
eligibility at the U.S.-Mexico border whenever the number of migrants crossing unlawfully
or without authorization reaches a daily average of 2,500.
The executive order
says those who cross into the country illegally won't be eligible for asylum
unless there are extraordinary reasons why they should be allowed to stay in
the United States.
VOA
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