Biden Advocates for Legal Status for Long-Term Undocumented Immigrants

The Biden administration is on the verge of introducing one of the most significant immigration relief initiatives in recent memory, providing legal status to long-term undocumented immigrants, as reported by CBS News.

According to four sources familiar with the plans, the proposed policy aims to grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who have been in the United States for at least ten years.

A key element of this plan, crafted by White House officials, is to provide work permits and deportation protections to undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens. This proposal, called “Parole in Place,” would also establish a pathway to permanent legal status and U.S. citizenship by eliminating a legal barrier that currently prevents immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally from obtaining green cards without leaving the country.

Another aspect of the Biden administration’s agenda includes simplifying processes for DREAMers and other undocumented immigrants to seek waivers. These waivers would facilitate the acquisition of temporary visas, such as H-1B visas for skilled workers.

Although the announcement of these measures may come early Tuesday, the plans are yet to be finalized. This news coincides with the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides protection to around 530,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

A White House official confirmed that final decisions have not been made. Nonetheless, spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez reiterated the administration’s dedication to addressing the “flawed immigration system.”

The “Parole in Place” initiative would be the most substantial immigration policy for undocumented immigrants since DACA. This new policy would benefit a portion of the estimated 1.1 million undocumented immigrants married to American citizens who meet the residency and other requirements.

President Biden’s increase in executive actions on immigration ahead of the upcoming presidential election signals part of his administration’s electoral strategy. He recently utilized executive authority to implement a partial asylum claim ban at the southern border, a move facing legal challenges from the ACLU.

Pundits suggest that the “Parole in Place” policy could enhance Biden’s support among Latino voters, particularly those in mixed-status families.

The “Parole in Place” program is anticipated to face similar legal hurdles, possibly from Republican-led states opposing Biden’s immigration policies. Republican lawmakers, who staunchly oppose amnesty for undocumented immigrants, are likely to criticize the initiative.

Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, a prominent Republican figure on border security, condemned the proposal, stating, “Biden’s border crisis continues, and his latest idea is amnesty. This will invite more chaos.”

Despite the opposition, Biden points fingers< at Republicans for his unilateral actions, arguing that they are necessary due to the failure of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to pass immigration reforms.

“Honestly, I would have preferred to address this issue through bipartisan legislation because that’s the only way to actually fix the broken system we have now, by hiring more Border Patrol agents, more asylum officers, more judges. But, Republicans left me no choice,” Biden expressed in remarks from the White House, as reported by The Hill.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has been administering a limited “Parole in Place” program for military families for over ten years. This policy allows certain undocumented immigrants who are immediate relatives of U.S. service members or veterans to obtain green cards without leaving the country.