Biden gives legal protections to immigrant spouses of US citizens

WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden on June 18 granted far-reaching new protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have been living in the US illegally for years but are married to American citizens.

Under the new policy, some 500,000 spouses will be shielded from deportation and given a pathway to citizenship and the ability to work legally in the country. It is one of the most expansive actions to protect immigrants since Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or Daca, was enacted 12 years ago to protect those who came to the US as children.

“These couples have been raising families, sending their kids to church and school, paying taxes, contributing to our country,” Mr Biden said at the White House, where he was joined by members of Congress and Daca recipients, known as Dreamers. “They’re living in the US all this time with fear and uncertainty. We can fix that.”

Mr Biden also said he would make it easier for young immigrants, including Dreamers, to gain access to work visas, a significant move that could help them eventually get a green card. That would protect their legal status even if Daca, which is already tied up in litigation, disappears.

The new policy allows Mr Biden to balance his

recent crackdown on asylum

with a sweeping pro-immigrant measure at a moment of political peril. With five months until the

presidential election

, Mr Biden has been trying to curtail record numbers of illegal border crossings without alienating long-time supporters who have called for a more humane immigration system after the Trump years.

The policy aims to help people who have been living in the US for more than a decade, building lives and families there. Even though marrying an American citizen generally provides a pathway to US citizenship, people who crossed the southern border illegally – rather than arriving in the country with a visa – are required to return to their home countries to complete the process for a green card.

The new programme allows them to remain in the country while they pursue legal status.

The new benefits for spouses will not take effect right away; senior Biden administration officials said they expected the programme to begin by the end of the summer. Those eligible will then be able to apply for the benefits. NYTIMES