On June 11, 2024, US President Biden talked about gun safety at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC.
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Biden administration Executive action is being taken to protect undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens, a move that will protect about 500,000 immigrants from deportation.
The White House announced the election-year policy on Tuesday, describing it as “New efforts to reunite families.” NBC News report Executive actions to protect spouses could be announced soon, at the urging of immigration advocates and Democratic lawmakers and as President Joe Biden courtes Latino voters in key battleground states.
Lawmakers have been briefed on the plan and at least some have been invited to the White House to make the announcement, sources said.
“This is the biggest thing since DACA,” one immigration advocate and source familiar with the matter said, adding that it was a smart political move by the Biden administration.
The White House is eager to highlight the policy’s tough approach to illegal border crossings and its commitment to dismantling human smuggling networks, foreshadowing the potential for controversy over the policy.
Biden “believes it is critical to secure our border,” he said in a press release outlining the new actions on Tuesday.
“He also believes in expanding legal pathways and keeping families together while immigrants who have lived in the United States for decades, paid taxes and contributed to their communities are part of the social fabric of our country,” the statement read.
The action is intended to “provide significant benefits to the country” by allowing noncitizens and their children who have lived in the country for at least 10 years and are married to U.S. citizens to apply for permanent residency without leaving the country.
The statement added that eligible spouses have lived in the United States for an average of 23 years.
The plan would also make it easier for some undocumented immigrants to obtain green cards and a path to U.S. citizenship.
Sources also said undocumented spouses will be able to obtain work permits on a case-by-case basis.
The action includes plans to allow DACA recipients who have earned a postsecondary degree and are seeking employment in the same field to obtain work visas more quickly.
The moves are expected to be challenged in court.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, noted the possibility of a lawsuit, saying in a statement that passage of the legislation would be “the only thing that will bring justice to those who deserve it” personally rooted action.” , start a family, continue your education, and continue to contribute to our society without fear of deportation,” but he noted that was unlikely given Republican opposition to previous immigration reform.
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