Biden Proposes Deportation Shield, Work Permits for Undocumented Spouses of US Citizens

President Biden is poised to unveil a comprehensive immigration policy overhaul.

This move is heralded as the most significant unilateral action by a president to provide relief to unauthorized immigrants since the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. According to officials privy to the plan's details, this initiative aims to safeguard hundreds of thousands of undocumented individuals who have been residing illegally in the United States for years but are married to American citizens. The president is expected to formally announce the policy changes on Tuesday, coinciding with the 12th anniversary of the DACA program, which shields individuals brought to the United States as children from deportation.

While the exact scale of the program remains uncertain, officials estimate it could impact up to 500,000 undocumented spouses. Under the proposed policy dubbed "parole in place", undocumented spouses of US citizens will be shielded from deportation, granted work permits, and offered a pathway to citizenship. This initiative aims to address the prolonged separations many families endure when individuals seeking permanent residency must depart the country and complete the green card application process from their home nations.

The administration's decision reflects President Biden's delicate balancing act on the highly contentious issue of immigration leading up to the 2024 elections. While cognizant of public demands for stricter border policies, evidenced by his recent crackdown suspending longstanding asylum guarantees for those who set foot on US soil, the president appears committed to addressing the plight of undocumented individuals with deep ties to the nation. Senator Harry M. Reid's former senior aide Mari Urbina hails the policy as a potential milestone akin to the DACA program's impact in 2012 which helped young immigrants remain in the country.

However, the proposed changes have already faced staunch opposition from Republicans, with Stephen Miller, the architect of former President Donald J. Trump's anti-immigration stance, denouncing the move on social media as "an attack on Democracy." Nonetheless, the policy change could prove advantageous for Mr Biden in key battleground states such as Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia, each of which harbours over 100,000 voters residing in "mixed status" households.