On June 18t, President Joe Biden announced that he would grant green cards and citizenship to approximately 500,000 undocumented immigrants who have been married to U.S. citizens for more than 10 years.
In response, former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate facing Biden in the upcoming November election, declared that he would repeal Biden’s executive order on his first day in office if elected.
This suggests that the issue of illegal immigration will be a primary point of contention in the upcoming presidential campaign, which will kick off in earnest with the first TV debate between the former and current presidents on June 27.
During a celebration of the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals(DACA) program at the White House, Biden announced that the administration will allow undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens to apply for green cards and ultimately citizenship without leaving the U.S. over the next several months.
An official from the Biden administration stated that under this program, as of yesterday, approximately 500,000 spouses of U.S. citizens who have resided in the U.S. for more than 10 years can apply for green cards. If their immigration applications are approved, they are given three years to apply for green cards. During this application process, immigrants can receive temporary work permits to legally work and are protected from deportation.
The official also stated that about 50,000 non-citizen children of U.S. citizen parents under the age of 21 would also be eligible for this application. However, undocumented immigrants who reached 10 years of marriage after the previous day are not eligible for this application. Senior officials said that applications will start before the end of the summer, and the application fees have not yet been determined.
The AP suggested that Biden’s announcement aimed to balance the backlash from his supporters and Democratic lawmakers, who were infuriated by his June 4 executive order denying asylum to immigrants entering illegally through the southern border and quickly deporting or returning them to Mexico.
At the time, there was speculation that Biden’s announcement was a political decision to mitigate criticism of the southern border security issue, one of the negative factors for him ahead of the election.
Reuters analyzed, “Biden’s legalization program for spouses of U.S. citizens can reinforce his election message that he supports a more humane immigration system, and show how he is different from Trump who has long held a hardline stance on both legal and illegal immigration.”
Biden’s balancing act was good prey for Trump, who is tough on illegal immigration.
During an outdoor rally in Racine, Wisconsin, Trump stated, “Today’s action without the approval of Congress, the courts, or the American people are illegal and unconstitutional,” adding, “If I am elected, I will repeal it (today’s executive order) on my first day in office.”
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