The Biden administration is planning to announce a significant immigration relief program that would offer legal status to hundreds of thousands of immigrants living in the country without proper documentation. This program, known as “Parole in Place,” would provide work permits and deportation protections to unauthorized immigrants married to U.S. citizens who have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years. It would also create a pathway to permanent legal status and U.S. citizenship by removing obstacles in U.S. law. The administration is also working on streamlining the process for DREAMers and other undocumented immigrants to request waivers that would make it easier for them to obtain temporary visas.
The proposal for the immigration relief program could be announced as early as Tuesday, but no final decisions have been made by the administration. While some Democratic lawmakers have already been invited to an immigration event at the White House, a plan has not been finalized. The program would be the largest immigration program for unauthorized immigrants since the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, benefiting a subset of the estimated 1.1 million unauthorized immigrants with American citizen spouses who meet the residency requirement and other rules. Overall, there are approximately 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. without legal status.
President Biden’s increased willingness to take executive actions on immigration ahead of the presidential election in November is evident with the implementation of the partial ban on asylum claims at the southern border. However, both the border executive action and the “Parole in Place” program are likely to face legal challenges, particularly from Republican-led states that have filed multiple lawsuits against Mr. Biden’s immigration policies. Republican lawmakers, who have taken strong stances against amnesty for those living in the U.S. illegally, are expected to oppose the program, but Mr. Biden argues that he is acting unilaterally due to Congress’s failure to pass agreements on immigration. The policy could also help garner more support from Latino voters, particularly those in mixed-status families that would benefit from the program.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency overseeing the legal immigration system, has administered a limited “Parole in Place” program for military families for over a decade. This policy allows some undocumented immigrants who are immediate relatives of U.S. service members or veterans to obtain green cards without having to leave the country. The administration’s proposed expansion of this program to include unauthorized immigrants married to U.S. citizens is part of broader efforts to address the broken immigration system. The program aligns with Mr. Biden’s goal of providing relief and pathways to legal status for immigrants in the U.S., particularly those who have lived and built lives in the country for many years.
Political analysts believe that the “Parole in Place” policy could help Mr. Biden garner more support from Latino voters, especially those in mixed-status families that would benefit from the program. Despite expected opposition and potential legal challenges, the administration is forging ahead with plans for the immigration relief program. By further utilizing executive actions on immigration, the Biden administration is demonstrating its commitment to addressing longstanding issues within the immigration system. The potential announcement of the program represents a significant step in the administration’s efforts to reform immigration policies and provide relief to immigrants living in the U.S. without proper documentation.
