Undocumented immigrants married to American citizens could soon get protections under the Biden administration.
Scripps News confirmed that the administration is considering a program to shield the group from deportation.
Known as "parole in place," the program provides legal status for long-term undocumented immigrants who are married to American citizens. In addition to allowing the individuals to stay in the country, it would also give them access to work permits.
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According to CNN, up to 800,000 people could directly benefit from the program, mostly Latinos.
While no final decision about the program has been made, a White House Spokesperson told Scripps News, "As we have said before, the Administration continues to explore a series of policy options and we remain committed to taking action to address our broken immigration system.”
Last week, President Biden announced executive actions to address the immigration system. He said he was forced to act after Republicans killed a more comprehensive bipartisan immigration bill earlier this year.
“The border is not a political issue to be weaponized,” President Biden said. “Frankly, I would’ve preferred to address this issue through bipartisan legislation... but Republicans left me no choice.”
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The executive actions are meant to curtail asylum claims at the southern border. If the number of encounters at the border surpasses an average of 2,500 over seven days, the border will essentially be shut down to new claims. The border would remain closed to new asylum claims until 14 calendar days after the Homeland Security secretary determines there have been seven consecutive days below 1,500 average encounters.
While immigration is one of the top issues for voters, the new policy drew immediate rebuke from immigrant rights groups that announced their intentions to sue.
