President Joe Biden is expected to announce immigration protections for certain undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for some time, possibly as soon as next week.
By Maria Ortiz | La Opinion | June 15, 2024 | Photo Courtesy of Robert Bukaty | Translated by Google Translate
President Joe Biden is expected to announce a new executive action next week that would protect certain undocumented immigrants living in the United States from deportation.
The Biden Administration is planning to announce one of the largest immigration relief programs in recent history , developing a policy that would offer legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants living in the country for years, four people familiar with the matter told CBS News the plans.
A program developed by White House officials would offer work permits and protection from deportation to unauthorized immigrants married to U.S. citizens , as long as they have lived in the United States for at least 10 years, the sources said, requesting anonymity to talk about internal government plans.
The proposal, known as “Parole in Place,” would also open a path to permanent legal status and U.S. citizenship for some beneficiaries by removing a hurdle in U.S. law that prevents those who entered the U.S. illegally from obtaining cards of residence (Green Cards).
Under another plan being prepared by the Biden administration, the process would be streamlined for so-called DREAMers and other undocumented immigrants to apply for waivers that would make it easier for them to obtain temporary visas, such as H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, according to sources.
The measures, the sources added, could be announced on Tuesday, but the administration has not finalized further details of its plans to announce them.
White House officials are preparing to host an event Tuesday to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program , which protects about 530,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children from deportation.
The “Parole in Place” plan would be the largest immigration program for unauthorized immigrants since DACA , a policy that former President Barack Obama announced in 2012 as an “interim” measure to protect DREAMers in light of congressional inaction regarding immigration.
The policy would benefit about 1.1 million unauthorized immigrants with U.S. citizen spouses, as long as they meet residency requirements and other rules.
Protections for undocumented spouses could come about two weeks after Biden issued a separate executive action to temporarily bar asylum seekers from entering the country between ports of entry.
The president himself hinted at the big new immigration action last week , when he announced the immigration and asylum executive order: “To those who say the measures I have taken are too strict, I say… be patient,” Biden said. “In the coming weeks, and I mean the next few weeks, I will be talking about how we can make our immigration system more fair and equitable.”
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and immigrant advocacy groups have been calling for months for the White House to act on work permits and deportation protections for undocumented people married to U.S. citizens.
Latino lawmakers and immigrant advocates have also encouraged the White House to consider similar protections and work permits for undocumented caregivers and farmworkers living in the US.
This expected new action to protect undocumented spouses could also give the president a political boost among Latino voters and his base.
USCIS, the federal agency that oversees the legal immigration system, has administered a more limited “Parole in Place” program for military families for more than a decade. The policy allows some undocumented immigrants who are immediate relatives of U.S. service members or veterans to obtain green cards, without having to leave the country.
PBS News Hour first reported that the White House was considering protections for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens last week.
In total, there are approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States, according to the government’s most recent estimate.
