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WASHINGTON.- The president Joe Biden will propose a great project in this election year to offer relief to hundreds of thousands of immigrants without residency permits in the United Statesin an attempt to balance aggressive border restrictions announced this month, which outraged migrant advocates and many Democratic lawmakers.
The White House announced Tuesday that the government will allow in the coming months Some spouses of US citizens without legal status can apply for permanent residence and, later, citizenship. It is estimated that the initiative could affect almost half a million immigrants, according to high-level officials.
To apply, a person must have in the United States a minimum of 10 years and be married to a North American citizen. If their application is approved, the person would have three years to apply for a permanent residence permit and would receive a temporary work permit, in addition to being protected from deportation during the process.
Also some 50,000 non-citizen children with a parent married to a US citizen could follow the same process, according to senior officials who briefed reporters on the proposal on condition of anonymity. There is no requirement for how long the couple must be married and no one will be eligible after Monday. That means immigrants who reach that 10-year mark in the country any time after June 17, 2024 will no longer be able to participate in the program, according to officials.
Senior government officials estimate that the application process will open at the end of summerand said the applicable rates were yet to be determined.
Biden will announce the new program Tuesday afternoon at a White House event organized to celebrate the 12 years of the popular Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program of the era of former President Barack Obama, that offered protections against deportation to some young immigrants.
Democrats, even after the president’s announcement to restrict asylum procedures earlier this month, hope to sharply contrast Biden with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Donald Trump and his campaign promise to deport millions if he is re-elected. Trump leaned toward his radical policies while Biden faced disapproval of his handling of immigration throughout his presidency. On Tuesday, Trump’s campaign accused the president of creating “another invitation to illegal immigration.”
“Biden only cares about one thing: power, and that is why he is granting massive amnesty and citizenship for hundreds of thousands of illegals who knows they will ultimately vote for him and the Open Border Democratic Party,” said the Trump campaign spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt.
As the threat of a second Trump administration looms over Biden’s new policy, Tuesday’s actions will trigger a months-long race by Latino organizations to get as many people as possible to sign up for the program. Trump could dissolve the program if he is re-elected, but immigrants who are granted temporary permission to remain in the country would still be protected.
Among the defenders, Gustavo TorresCEO of CASA, said Biden’s announcement would encourage Latin communities to come out and support him. “This is what our communities have needed to support President Biden in his re-election,” he said.
White House officials privately urged Democratic members of the House of Representatives, which is on recess this week, to travel back to Washington to attend the announcement.
Biden is also expected to announce a policy to make DACA program recipients eligible for visas, instead of the temporary work authorization they currently receive, according to two of the people informed. That would give them stronger protection than the current DACA permits, which face legal challenges and do not accept new applicants.
The power that Biden wields in his Tuesday announcement about spouses is not new. The measure would expand an authority used by former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to allow permission temporary stay in the country for military familieshe indicated Andrea Floresa former policy advisor in the Obama and Biden administrations who is now vice president of FWD.us, an immigrant advocacy organization.
The temporary permanence process allows immigrants to comply the requirements to aspire to permanent residence without having to leave the country, which eliminates a common obstacle for people without residency permits but who are married to Americans. Flores noted that “it is the greatest victory for the immigrant rights movement since the announcement of DACA 12 years ago.”
Two weeks ago, Biden announced strict controls on the border between the United States and Mexico, which effectively halted asylum applications for people arriving between officially designated entry points. Immigrant rights groups have sued the government over that decree, which a senior official said has reduced encounters with people arriving between access points.
The same progressives who were infuriated by Biden’s order to curb asylum claims praised the president on Tuesday. The represent Pramila JayapalD-Wash., who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, praised Biden and said the actions would help keep American families together.
“Many Americans would be surprised to hear that when a U.S. citizen marries an undocumented person, their spouse is not automatically eligible for citizenship,” he said. “Imagine loving someone, getting married, and fearing that they will separate you.”
Reuters and AP Agencies
THE NATION
