Biden’s new policy will protect undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens

By Nina Campanello

President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he is taking executive action to protect undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation. This policy would shield about 500,000 immigrants from deportation.

This policy comes following the president’s recent major crackdowns on the southern U.S. border, which left many immigration advocates and Democratic lawmakers displeased.

The president announced that this plan will allow for certain U.S. citizen’s spouses to apply for permanent residency – and eventually citizenship – without having to leave the country beforehand. This change could protect around half a million immigrants, according to senior administration officials.

Former president Donald Trump said that this program would be “a catastrophe.” At his rally in Racine, Wisconin, Trump claimed that if he were elected, the new policy would be “ripped up and thrown out.” 

A news release outlining the president’s decision says the president believes that “securing the border is essential.”

Biden “also believes that expanding lawful pathways and keeping families together, and that immigrants who have been in the United States for decades, paying taxes and contributing to their communities, are part of the social fabric of our country,” the statement said.