Biden moves to give legal status to undocumented spouses of US citizens

Measure will affect about 500,000 people who have lived in the US for at least a decade, White House says

US President Joe Biden has faced criticism from Republicans and progressives over his position on migration. EPA

US President Joe Biden's administration has announced new immigration measures that aim to "keep families together" by giving undocumented spouses of Americans a path to citizenship.

The move was unveiled in a ceremony in the White House on Tuesday and aims to protect about 500,000 people who are married to US citizens, if they have been living in the country for at least 10 years, the White House said.

The policy would also benefit about 50,000 undocumented children.

"These couples have been raising families, sending their kids to church and school, paying taxes," Mr Biden said.

"The average time they spend here is 22 years living in the United States. All this time there's fear and uncertainty. We can fix that, and that's what I'm going to do today."

Officials said most of the people set to benefit from the move come from Mexico and parts of Central America originally.

The application process would probably begin by the end of summer. Applicants must have lived in the US for at least 10 years as of June 17, 2024.

Undocumented spouses of US citizens currently have to leave the country to request residency, an uncertain process that can take years and often deters people from applying.

Mr Biden called it "cumbersome, risky and separates families", forcing them to live in the shadows and in constant fear of deportation and without the ability to work legally in the US.

He said the new programme is a "common sense fix" that streamlines the process of obtaining legal status to spouses of American citizens and does not require any fundamental change to the immigration laws, or to the system.

"The reason is simple," Mr Biden said. "It embraces the American principle that we should keep families together. "

He was speaking at a ceremony marking the 12-year anniversary of Daca, the programme set up by former president Barack Obama that protects from deportation hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants who came to the US as children.

The move comes at a critical moment for Mr Biden, 81, who is running for re-election in November.

He has come under fire from his Republican critics for not doing enough to improve security on the southern border with Mexico, amid the arrival of historic numbers of migrants.

Mr Biden, a Democrat, has also faced criticism from progressives who say he has not lived up to campaign promises to be more welcoming to migrants.

He is set for a tight election race against Donald Trump, his Republican predecessor who made hardline immigration policies a focus of his time in office.

Trump has vowed to conduct a major deportation campaign of undocumented migrants if he wins in November, a message that has resonated with his supporters.

Republican officials quickly denounced the move, saying it would only encourage more migrants to come.

"Just two weeks ago, the President pretended to crack down on the open-border catastrophe by engaging an election-year border charade,” Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, said on X.

“Now he’s trying to play both sides and is granting amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens.

“The President may think our homeland security is some kind of game that he can try to use for political points, but Americans know this amnesty plan will only incentivise more illegal immigration and endanger Americans."

Estimates suggest between 11 million and 20 million undocumented migrants live in the US.

Mr Biden has sought to find a measured response to immigration, with Hispanic and progressive voters comprising a critical bloc in his re-election effort.

“We’re encouraged to see the Biden administration protect a vulnerable group of people who have come to call the US their home," Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of resettlement agency Global Refuge, said in a statement on Tuesday.

"This move will provide a sense of relief to the thousands of mixed immigration status families living in the shadows in this country who qualify."

Mr Biden this month issued an executive order restricting asylum at the border. Migrant groups responded by suing the Biden administration, saying the move breached US and international laws.

Tuesday's announcement also allows work visas to be given to Daca recipients who have earned a degree in the US and have received a job offer.