President Joe Biden has introduced a new immigration policy that aims to help nearly half a million undocumented immigrants who are married to American citizens.
This plan will allow them to stay in the U.S. legally and eventually become U.S. citizens. The policy is expected to start later this summer.
Currently, if someone marries a U.S. citizen, they can apply for a green card, which is a step toward living in the U.S. legally.
However, if they came to the U.S. illegally, they usually have to leave the country and then come back legally to qualify.
Biden’s new policy removes this requirement, so these immigrants won’t have to leave their families and risk a 10-year ban from returning.
The new program, called “Parole in Place,” will let these immigrants apply for work permits and protection from being deported.
To be eligible, they must have lived in the U.S. for at least ten years and meet other requirements, such as passing a criminal background check.
This program is only for immigrants already in the U.S. and does not apply to future migrants.
President Biden explained from the White House, “Today I’m announcing a straightforward solution to make it easier for immigrants married to American citizens, who have been living here a long time, to get legal status.”
He emphasized that this will help spouses and their children who have lived in America for over a decade but don’t have documentation.
This change is expected to benefit around 500,000 undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens. Those who pose a security risk will not qualify.
This announcement was made on the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which President Obama started.
DACA also protects immigrants from deportation but has been challenged in court recently.
If the courts agree with this policy, it will be the biggest federal action to protect undocumented immigrants since DACA.
In his speech, President Biden criticized his political opponents and argued that America can protect its borders while also offering a legal way for people to become citizens.
“The Statue of Liberty stands for who we are,” Biden said. “We don’t have to choose between being a welcoming country and securing our borders.
We can do both. We need to calm the fears about our border security, which are sometimes increased by false information.”
Under this new policy, after living in the U.S. for five years with a green card, these immigrants can apply to become U.S. citizens, making them full members of the community.
