Biden offers legal avenues to spouses of undocumented citizens, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a streamlined path to legal status for more than 500,000 immigrants, launching his broadest effort yet to provide protection from deportation as he sought to address criticism from some allies of his recent crackdown to weaken the border.
Eligible spouses and children of U.S. citizens who have been in the country for at least ten years can apply for lawful permanent residence without first being forced to leave the country. That’s a radical change from current policies, which require these people to leave the U.S. — sometimes for years — before they can apply for permanent residency and work permits.
Biden rolled out the executive action Tuesday at a White House event commemorating the anniversary of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. election opponent, Donald Trump.
