Immigrant Hopes Ride on New Biden Administration Program.
LOS ANGELES, Aug 19 (Reuters) – Miguel Aleman, a 39-year-old immigrant who was brought to the United States from Mexico at the age of four, is among hundreds of thousands of immigrants who are hoping to secure a path to citizenship through a new program from the Biden administration set to launch on Monday.
This initiative represents one of President Joe Biden’s most significant efforts to grant legal status to long-term U.S. residents who entered the country illegally. The timing of this program is crucial, coming just months before the Nov. 5 election, where illegal immigration is a central issue for Republicans.
Without this new program, Aleman, who has two young children with his U.S.-citizen wife and works as an Uber driver, would face the possibility of relocating to Mexico for a decade or longer before being allowed to return to the U.S. legally. “My whole family is here,” said Aleman, one of dozens of immigrants from Mexico, El Salvador, and the Philippines who attended an information session on the program organized by the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.
The program, named Keeping Families Together, was announced in June and will be open to an estimated 500,000 spouses who have lived in the United States for at least 10 years as of June 17, according to Biden administration officials. Additionally, around 50,000 children under the age of 21, with a U.S.-citizen parent, will also be eligible.
Biden introduced the legalization program before stepping out of the presidential race against Republican Donald Trump in July. Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic candidate earlier this month and is expected to formally accept the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday.
Trump has criticized Harris for the record number of migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since she and Biden took office in 2021. In response, Harris has highlighted her enforcement record and Trump’s opposition to a bipartisan border security bill that failed to pass in the U.S. Senate earlier this year.
During campaign events in Arizona and Nevada this month, Harris called for “an earned pathway to citizenship” for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. In contrast, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt labeled the citizenship program as “mass amnesty” and reiterated Trump’s promise to deport historic numbers of immigrants in the country illegally if he is reelected.
The Keeping Families Together program allows eligible spouses to apply for permanent residence without having to leave the United States, bypassing the years-long wait they would otherwise face before being allowed to return. A spouse who obtains permanent residence, also known as a green card, can apply for citizenship after three years.
The program is expected to face legal challenges from Republicans. The initiative may also offer a path to citizenship for some individuals enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides deportation relief and work permits to immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children.
DACA was launched in 2012 by President Barack Obama when Biden was vice president. Trump attempted to end the DACA program during his presidency from 2017 to 2021, but was blocked by the Supreme Court. However, Texas and other states with Republican attorneys general have continued to challenge DACA’s legality.
Aleman, who is currently enrolled in DACA, hopes to obtain permanent status through the Keeping Families Together program. “I want to keep contributing to this country,” he said.