- Biden faced record levels of migrant arrests at the US-Mexico border.
- The implementation of the new program will be implemented in the coming months.
- “I'm interested in fixing it,” Biden says of immigration policies.
US President Joe Biden has announced a plan to grant citizenship to hundreds of illegal immigrants married to US citizens, in contrast to his Republican rival Donald Trump's mass deportation plan.
According ReutersBiden, 81, criticized Trump for separating families at the US-Mexico border and using offensive language about illegal immigrants, saying they were “poisoning the blood of our country.”
“It's hard to believe they're saying it, but he's actually saying these things out loud. And it's outrageous,” Biden said during an event at the White House.
“I'm not interested in playing politics with the border or immigration. I'm interested in fixing it,” he added.
Despite resisting Trump's restrictive immigration policies, Biden has faced record levels of migrant arrests at the US-Mexico border and, taking a tougher approach, has barred most migrants from seeking asylum, reflecting Trump's ban.
Biden's planned legalization program for spouses of U.S. citizens could reinforce his campaign message of supporting a more humane immigration system.
What exactly is Biden proposing?
The new Biden program will be open to about 500,000 spouses who have lived in the United States for at least 10 years starting June 17, officials said Tuesday. About 50,000 children under age 21 with a U.S. citizen parent will also be eligible.
The United States already offers a path to citizenship for immigrants married to Americans and who entered the country legally with a visa. But in most cases, those who enter illegally must first leave the United States for years before they are allowed to return legally.
The new program will allow spouses and their children to apply for permanent residency without traveling abroad, eliminating a potentially lengthy process and family separation.
The path to obtaining permanent residency could take months or years. From there they could apply for citizenship. People with disqualifying criminal records would not be eligible.
The rollout will roll out in the coming months and most of the potential beneficiaries would be Mexicans, Biden officials said in a call with reporters.
