President Biden eases procedures for family reunification

2024-06-18 22:20:08, Kosova & Bota CNA

President Biden eases procedures for family reunification

US President, Joe Biden. Source, AP

The American President, Joe Biden, has presented on Tuesday one of the biggest efforts to facilitate the path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of migrants in the United States, who are married to American citizens.

This decision is in stark contrast to Republican rival Donald Trump's plans for mass deportations.

“We can fix this. I am doing this today too", said Biden from the White House, referring to the efforts to legalize the stay of this category of migrants.

"The steps I'm going to take today are overwhelmingly supported by the American people."

The program will apply to nearly 500,000 spouses who have lived in the US for at least 10 years, starting June 17, according to statements released by the White House and the US Department of Homeland Security.

The program will also include about 50,000 children under the age of 21 who have an American parent.

Biden, a Democrat seeking a second term as president, also won the election by promising to reverse many of the restrictive immigration policies enforced by his predecessor, Trump, who is also seeking a term in the House of Representatives. White.

However, faced with mass arrests of migrants at the US-Mexico border, Biden has toughened his tone on migrants in recent months.

Earlier this month, Biden barred migrants crossing the US-Mexico border illegally from seeking asylum — a policy similar to Trump's that has been criticized by some Democrats and migrant rights groups.

However, the program to legalize spouses of US citizens could strengthen his message that he supports a more humane immigration system that differs from Trump's.

In the US, there is already a way for migrants married to Americans to secure residency.

But in most cases, those who have entered the US illegally must first be returned to their countries of origin for several years before they are allowed to return legally.

The new program will now allow them to apply for residency without leaving the US, and if they secure residency, they can also apply for citizenship.

People who are considered to pose a threat to public safety or have a history of problems will not be able to apply.

The implementation of the program will start in the last months and it is believed that Mexicans will benefit the most from it./ REL