TEXAS, USA — The White House unveiled an immigration plan Tuesday that aims to protect hundreds of thousands of migrants from deportation while creating a streamlined path to permanent residency.
President Joe Biden’s announcement of the executive action came during a ceremony reflecting on the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), which has prevented the deportation of more than 530,000 migrants who came to the U.S. as children.
Damaris Gonzalez serves as the statewide immigration lead organizer for the Texas Organizing Project (TOP), a progressive nonprofit organization whose goal is to transform “Texas into a state where working people of color have the power and representation they deserve.” She was 12 when she came to the U.S. with her family.
Married to a U.S. citizen, she’s among the thousands of DACA recipients who have felt fear and uncertainty surrounding the Obama-era program that’s been in legal limbo for years.
“DACA is not something that’s guaranteeing me protections from deportations," Gonzalez said. "I have to renew my work permit every two years."
The Biden administration revealed it was opening the doors for DACA recipients who’ve graduated from an accredited university and have employment offers within the U.S. to apply for work visas.
Immigration attorney Gerardo Menchaca noted this marks the first time members from the DACA community potentially qualify for work visas, which last anywhere from three to five years compared to the need to renew work permits every two years.
“DACA is a program that’s constantly under threat and they’re not taking any new applications," he said. "If a DACA member is able to get a work visa, then they are standing on a much sturdier plank when it comes to employment opportunities."
President Biden’s executive action also entails lifting the threat of deportation for half a million spouses of U.S. citizens through the parole in place program (PIP).
"Today I'm announcing a common-sense fix to streamline the process for obtaining legal status for immigrants married to American citizens who live here and have lived here for a long time," Biden said. "For those wives or husbands and their children who have lived in America for a decade or more but are undocumented, this action will allow them to file the paperwork for legal status in the United States."
Eligible candidates must have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years and pass a criminal background check. The program doesn’t apply to future migrants.
“What parole in place does (is) it clears the pathway for them to apply for a green card because they’re married to a U.S. citizen without having to go to their home country,” Menchaca said.
As for Gonzalez, she approves of the Biden administration’s executive action but believes it falls short of serving as a clear and concrete solution.
“We have made our life here since when we were little. This is what we call home, this is where we want our families to be," she said. "I feel like this is not entirely what we want to see. I think there’s a lot of opportunity to continue working with President Biden to create more pathways that will protect a lot of those who are unprotected at the moment."
President Biden indicated the actions will take effect sometime this summer.
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