President Biden is expected to announce a new immigration plan on Tuesday, aiming to provide legal status to tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens. It is reported by foreign media that President Biden will unveil this plan at the White House on Tuesday alongside lawmakers, immigration advocates, and potential beneficiaries of the new program.
The plan is said to offer work permits, protection from deportation, and a pathway to apply for a green card to undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens. This initiative is likely to benefit undocumented immigrants who have resided in the United States for at least ten years, as current laws prevent some U.S. citizens from sponsoring their undocumented spouses for a green card.
The scale of this program is anticipated to be one of the largest immigration initiatives launched in recent decades, comparable to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program introduced by former President Obama in 2012. The White House also plans to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the DACA program at the event on Tuesday.
Two weeks ago, in an effort to reduce illegal border crossings, President Biden announced one of the strictest immigration policies to date: a comprehensive ban on undocumented immigrants seeking asylum. The U.S. will hold presidential elections in November this year.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that advisors to Biden cited internal Democratic polls indicating that a majority of Americans support the legalization of spouses of U.S. citizens, even if they originally entered the country illegally.
Under current laws, immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally through the southern border and later marry U.S. citizens are required to leave the country for 10 years before being eligible to apply for a green card. Biden’s new plan will be based on a provision of immigration law known as “parole in place,” which allows the government to “admit” these immigrants legally and overturn their penalties for illegal entry.
The new plan will streamline the process of obtaining a green card, making it significantly easier. Even if Biden’s rival, former President Trump, were to win the election, he would face challenges in overturning this provision. Furthermore, the new plan aims to prevent the deportation of these individuals and provide them with work permits.
Republicans have already begun criticizing the plan, labeling it as a large-scale amnesty program.