President Joe Biden is expected to unveil a significant new executive action as early as Tuesday that would protect an estimated 500,000 undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States from deportation, NBC News reported Tuesday. The impending measure aims to safeguard undocumented spouses of US citizens who have lived in the country for over a decade, granting them the legal right to work. This could potentially include Israelis who live in the US and are married to American citizens.
White House immigration announcement tomorrow:
*Requires undocumented spouses of Americans to have lived here for at least 10 years
*Could affect 490,000 people (tho they have to proactively apply)
*Affected families expected to attend WH event https://t.co/XHuzfbsQWA— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) June 17, 2024
NBC News cites sources familiar with the matter, stating that the program, referred to as "parole in place," will streamline the process for some undocumented immigrants to obtain permanent resident status and potentially pursue US citizenship. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have reportedly been briefed on the proposal, though the White House has declined to provide specific details.
"As we have said before, the administration continues to explore a series of policy options and we remain committed to taking action to address our broken immigration system," a White House spokesperson told NBC News.
The discussions surrounding this executive action come amid calls from immigration advocates and Democratic lawmakers urging the administration to prioritize long-term undocumented immigrants. Additionally, the move is viewed as an effort by President Biden to appeal to Latino voters in crucial battleground states like Nevada and Arizona ahead of the upcoming elections. Last week, during remarks at the White House, Biden announced an executive action to tighten asylum restrictions outside legal ports of entry. He also signaled forthcoming immigration-related initiatives, stating, "In the weeks ahead, I'll speak to how we can make our immigration system more fair and more just."
If implemented, protections for undocumented spouses of US citizens could represent the federal government's most significant immigration relief program since the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program under President Obama. The Biden administration has faced criticism from both Republicans and Democrats over its immigration policies. Republicans argue the asylum restrictions are inadequate, while some Democrats condemn the move as a departure from Biden's 2020 campaign promises for more humane border policies.
With nearly 10 million undocumented migrants crossing the southern border during the Biden administration, congressional Republicans blocked a bipartisan border security bill earlier this year, asserting that it didn't go far enough. "Our colleagues across the aisle have failed to act. We would have liked to have seen a lot of other things that I believe the president is going to be acting on in the near future," Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., expressed frustration last week, according to NBC News' reporting.
