In a significant development, the Biden administration will announce an executive action on Tuesday that will allow certain undocumented spouses and children of US citizens to apply for lawful permanent residency without having to leave the country. This move is expected to provide legal status and protections to approximately 500,000 American families and around 50,000 noncitizen children of immigrants under the age of 21 whose parent is married to a US citizen.
The action is being considered one of the biggest relief programs for undocumented immigrants since the introduction of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program by former President Obama in 2012. With the upcoming midterm elections, the Biden administration is aiming to appeal to key Latino constituencies in crucial battleground states like Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia.
This initiative is seen as an olive branch to immigration advocates and progressives who have criticized the administration for its previous restrictive actions on immigration. Many have pointed out that this action comes in sharp contrast to the steps taken earlier this month to limit asylum processing at the US southern border.
To be eligible for the program, individuals must have lived in the United States for at least 10 years and be legally married to a US citizen. The application process is expected to open by the end of the summer. This will allow spouses to apply for residency from within the US, avoiding the need to leave the country, which the Biden administration believes will help keep families together.
President Biden is expected to formally announce this action during a White House event on Tuesday, coinciding with the 12th anniversary of the DACA program. This move is likely to be a topic of discussion in the upcoming debates between Biden and his 2024 rival, former President Donald Trump.
Immigration advocacy groups have welcomed the news, seeing it as a positive step to protect families affected by the country’s broken immigration laws. The change is estimated to impact as many as 550,000 individuals, and experts believe it could have a significant economic benefit by allowing these individuals to seek higher-wage jobs.
Meanwhile, leading Senate Republicans have criticized Biden ahead of the announcement, accusing the administration of creating more incentives for illegal immigration. They suggest that finding a bipartisan solution through legislation would be a better approach. Additionally, the administration is expected to facilitate the employment-visa process for college graduates with high-skilled job offers.