Republicans Introduce Bill to Block Biden’s Humanitarian Parole for Illegal Immigrants with American Spouses.
Senate Republicans are proposing legislation to halt the Biden administration’s efforts to grant humanitarian parole to certain undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens. The bill, led by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and supported by over a dozen GOP senators, targets the administration’s broad use of parole, particularly for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally or overstayed their visas.
The bill, called the Visa Integrity Preservation Act, would change federal law to ensure that undocumented immigrants cannot bypass the requirement of an in-person consular interview, which is typically required when applying for a visa. This legislation comes in response to the administration’s introduction of “parole in place,” a program launched in June that allows some undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to apply for permanent residency without leaving the country for consular processing.
The Biden administration’s “Keeping Families Together” initiative applies to noncitizen spouses who have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years as of June 2024 and pose no threat to public safety or national security. Officials argue that the program addresses the fear and uncertainty faced by families who could be separated if their loved ones had to leave the country for visa interviews.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), this program could affect about 500,000 individuals, but it is not open to recent arrivals. Applicants must have been in the U.S. for a decade or more by June 2024.
Senate Republicans, however, have been vocal in opposing the administration’s use of humanitarian parole, which they claim has been overused. The administration has also employed the CBP One app to grant parole to over 1.3 million foreign nationals in recent years, both at the border and through a travel authorization program for select nationalities.
Under the proposed Republican legislation, any undocumented immigrant applying for a visa would be required to leave the U.S. for a consular interview, rather than benefiting from “parole in place.” Supporters of the bill include Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and James Lankford (R-Okla.), among others.
Sen. Cornyn criticized the Biden administration, stating, “For almost four years, the Biden-Harris administration has created unlawful programs that allow individuals to stay in the U.S. without legal status.” He argued that the new bill would reinforce current laws while maintaining the integrity of employment-based nonimmigrant visa programs.
The Republican opposition to the Biden administration’s immigration policies has also taken legal form. Republican-led states, spearheaded by Texas, filed a lawsuit challenging the “Keeping Families Together” program, claiming that it violates federal law by using parole beyond its intended scope of “case-by-case” humanitarian or public benefit cases. A federal court has since paused the program.
The White House defended the program, asserting that it aligns with American values and accusing Republican lawmakers of prioritizing politics over solutions to the immigration system. A White House spokesperson said, “We will vigorously defend Keeping Families Together and our ability to make the immigration system more fair and just.”
The immigration debate continues to be a focal point of tension between the Biden administration and Republican lawmakers as both sides push for changes to the country’s immigration policies.
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