(Washington, DC) – President Joe Biden is set to announce a new program on Tuesday that will provide a pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens. This initiative, aimed at legalizing their status, stands in contrast to former President Donald Trump’s approach, which emphasized mass deportations.
The program is expected to be available to an estimated 500,000 spouses who have resided in the U.S. for at least ten years as of June 17, according to senior administration officials. Additionally, about 50,000 children under the age of 21, who have a U.S.-citizen parent, will also be eligible to apply.
The majority of those who stand to benefit from this program are of Mexican origin. The new policy will allow these spouses and children to apply for permanent residency without having to leave the U.S., thus avoiding a lengthy and often disruptive process of family separation. Eventually, they will have the opportunity to apply for U.S. citizenship.
This announcement coincides with the anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, initiated in 2012 by former President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Biden. The DACA program currently provides deportation relief and work permits to 528,000 individuals brought to the U.S. as children.
In addition to the new pathway to citizenship, the Biden administration is also expected to introduce guidance aimed at easing the process for DACA recipients to obtain skilled-work visas, further supporting their integration into the workforce.
Biden’s upcoming announcement aligns with his broader campaign message advocating for a more compassionate and humane immigration system, highlighting a significant policy difference from Trump’s stringent immigration policies.