On Friday, August 23, Texas and 16 other Republican-led states jointly filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration’s new immigration plan, which provides a path to citizenship for immigrants who entered the United States illegally and are now married to U.S. citizens.
According to Reuters, the lawsuit initiated by Texas alleges that the Biden administration overstepped its authority in introducing this program to help undocumented immigrants obtain citizenship and circumvented the original intent of U.S. immigration law. The program officially started accepting applications from eligible immigrants on Monday.
The program, named “Keeping Families Together,” offers a pathway to citizenship for approximately 500,000 undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for at least 10 years and are married to U.S. citizens. Without this option, many would have to leave the U.S. for years before being able to return legally.
Republicans have made the issue of illegal immigration a central focus of this year’s presidential election, with former President Trump set to face off against the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, on November 5.
In this lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general from Texas and 15 other states, conservative public interest organization “America First Legal,” led by Trump advisor Stephen Miller, serves as co-counsel.
Miller, a driving force behind Trump’s restrictive immigration policies during his presidency from 2017 to 2021, called Biden’s new plan “blatantly illegal” in a statement.
The “Keeping Families Together” program also allows approximately 50,000 non-citizen children under 21 with one U.S. citizen stepparent to obtain “parole” status as a stepping stone to citizenship.
White House Assistant Press Secretary Angelo Fernandez Hernandez stated that Texas’ lawsuit aims to separate families, violating the values of the country.
Texas has engaged in legal battles with the Biden administration multiple times regarding immigration and border issues.
In July, a federal appeals court ruled that Texas could maintain a large floating barrier on the Rio Grande to block illegal border crossings from Mexico.