WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on Tuesday tried to strike a political chord by announcing a path to citizenship for half a million immigrants married to US citizens, against a new crackdown on illegal border crossings.
The Biden administration is struggling to resolve the divisive immigration issue for many Americans ahead of the November presidential election.
“We can both protect the border and open a legal path to citizenship, but we must recognize that the patience of goodwill is being tested by the fear of the American people at the border,” Biden said at the White House.
The Democrats want to get tougher on illegal immigrants in a bid to take back the White House, in contrast to the center-right Donald Trump, who has called the country “invasion”.
Biden’s move to protect an entire class of immigrants was immediately condemned by Trump and other Republicans. But immigration reform activists, frustrated by Biden’s new border restrictions, welcomed it.
Speaking about the reform, Biden said that Trump is trying to play on “the fear of America.”
The new rules will simplify the process for people who qualify for permanent residency by removing the requirement to leave the country as part of the application process.
This rule applies to people who have lived in the country for at least 10 years and are married to a US citizen by June 17, 2024, which the administration estimates will affect 500,000 people. In addition, there are almost 50,000 stepchildren of US citizens.
Those who are approved will be granted the right to stay in the United States for up to three years while applying for a work permit and a voluntary green card. This will then allow you to apply for full citizenship.
A senior administration official told reporters before announcing that the White House is taking more action to reform the United States’ controversial and ineffective immigration system.
However, “comprehensive reform of our immigration and asylum laws can only be delivered by Congress.”
Trump attacked Biden’s policies in a typical way, using harsh language and violent images.
“While more and more illegal Americans are being beaten, raped and killed, Crooked Joe Biden is not taking action to stop this onslaught or remove violent predators from our country,” he said. “Instead, Biden granted mass amnesty.”
Right-wing House member Marjorie Taylor Grein said Biden “wrote a free citizenship order to buy votes.”
But the group is campaigning for work permits for undocumented spouses of US citizens.
“President Biden’s move to extend work permits for spouses of long-term immigrants is morally right, economically right and politically smart,” said Rebecca Shea, executive director of the American Business Immigration Coalition.
“Most Americans support these humane and common sense steps, and they will immediately improve the lives of more than 10 million Americans who have undocumented family members,” he said. “Now those families and supporters fighting on their behalf can breathe a sigh of relief.”
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hailed the announcement as a “step forward.”
The new protections for spouses of US citizens are based on Biden’s decision to impose new restrictions on the Mexican border.
The previous bipartisan immigration package that Biden pushed through Congress would have introduced the toughest policy in decades, but as Republicans backed away from the deal, Trump indicated that under pressure, Biden was bound to fail on the issue.
Biden then signed an executive order to close the border to asylum seekers after a certain daily limit was set — a move that was immediately criticized by the left and led to a legal challenge by rights groups.
The administration has defended the asylum program, and the congressional push has been described as “the toughest and fairest reform in decades.”
Meanwhile, Trump has called immigrants “poisoning the blood of the country” and vowed to deport people in the country illegally.
On Tuesday, the Biden administration made it easier for children who came to the United States illegally — migrants known as Dreamers — to get work visas if they have a college degree and “a qualified job offer.”
