The Biden administration is poised to unveil one of the largest immigration relief initiatives in recent history, granting legal status to long-term illegal immigrants, CBS News reports.
According to four anonymous sources familiar with the plans, the proposed policy aims to grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who have resided in the United States for at least 10 years.
A vital component of this plan, developed by White House officials, is to offer work permits and deportation protections to unauthorized immigrants married to U.S. citizens. The proposal, known as "Parole in Place," would also create a pathway to permanent legal status and U.S. citizenship by removing a legal barrier that prevents immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally from obtaining green cards without first leaving the country.
Another aspect of the Biden administration's plans includes streamlining processes for DREAMers and other undocumented immigrants to request waivers. These waivers would facilitate the acquisition of temporary visas, such as H-1B visas for high-skilled workers.
Although the measures could be announced early Tuesday, the administration has yet to finalize the plans. The announcement coincides with the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects approximately 530,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation.
A White House official confirmed that no final decisions have been made. However, spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez reaffirmed the administration's commitment to addressing the "broken immigration system."
The "Parole in Place" program would be the most significant immigration initiative for unauthorized immigrants since DACA, which President Barack Obama introduced in 2012. This new policy would benefit a portion of the estimated 1.1 million undocumented immigrants married to American citizens, provided they meet residency and other requirements.
Biden's increased use of executive actions on immigration ahead of the upcoming presidential election underscores part of his administration's election strategy. Recently, he invoked executive authority to implement a partial ban on asylum claims at the southern border, a move facing legal challenges from the American Civil Liberties Union.
Political analysts suggest that the "Parole in Place" policy could bolster Biden's support among Latino voters, especially those in mixed-status families.
The "Parole in Place" program is expected to encounter similar legal obstacles, potentially from Republican-led states that oppose Biden's overly lenient immigration policies. Republican lawmakers, who have vehemently opposed amnesty for undocumented immigrants, are likely to criticize the initiative.
Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, a leading Republican negotiator on border security, criticized the proposal, saying, "Biden's border is still in crisis, and his latest idea is amnesty. This will invite more chaos."
Despite the opposition, Biden blames Republicans for his unilateral actions, which he argues are necessary due to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives' failure to pass immigration reforms.
"Frankly, I would have preferred to address this issue through bipartisan legislation because that's the only way to actually get the kind of system we have now that's broken fixed, to hire more Border Patrol agents, more asylum officers, more judges. But, Republicans left me no choice," Biden said in remarks from the White House, The Hill reported.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 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 leaving the country.