By Maria Ortiz
24 Aug 2024, 17:41 PM EDT
Immigrant advocates on Friday condemned a lawsuit filed by Texas and 15 other Republican-governed states to block the administration’s new immigration measure that offers a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants who are immediate relatives of U.S. citizens.
The Biden administration’s new “Keeping families together” immigration measure It is expected to benefit nearly half a million undocumented immigrantsspouses, or stepchildren of U.S. citizens.
The group of 16 states, led by Texas, filed a lawsuit Friday seeking to halt implementation of the Keeping Families Together program, arguing that it violates the Constitution, the Administrative Procedure Act and immigration laws.
Angélica Salas, director of the Coalition for Human Rights of Immigrants (Chirla)said in a statement that “the right of American citizens to file a petition on behalf of their family or loved one is being frustrated by Texas and other states.”
The activist said the lawsuit is unfounded and only “seeks to disrupt” the lives of half a million immigrants.
For its part, Oscar Chacón, executive director of Alliance Americas, a network of organizations led by immigrants of Latin American and Caribbean origin, called the lawsuit “deeply racist and deeply xenophobic,”
“This is an openly anti-Mexican measure, since it is well known that many of the potential beneficiaries of this program are Mexican citizens,” the activist added.
The program, which opened its registrations last Monday, is based on the immigration resource of “parole in place,” which grants a temporary permit to remain in the U.S., offering protection from deportation.
The regularization plan also grants undocumented immigrants the possibility of obtaining a work permit, known as a Green Card.
But the most important thing is that allows beneficiaries to complete the process to obtain permanent residence in the United States. by being married to or being the stepchild of a U.S. citizen without having to leave the country.
The program requires that the applicant must have lived in the country for a minimum of 10 years and be married before June 17, 2024.
The Biden administration estimated that approximately 500,000 spouses of U.S. citizens and about 50,000 children or stepchildren will be eligible for the program.
Salas said that since last Monday, her Los Angeles-based organization has received “hundreds of calls” and has helped hundreds of mixed-status families who qualify for the benefit, and urged eligible immigrants to apply for the protection as soon as possible.
In that sense, Abdiel Echevarría Caban, lead lawyer of the Union of the Entire People (LUPE), a Texas-based organization said the new lawsuit “should not deter people from seeking support or help.”
Since it was announced last June, ultraconservative sectors have threatened to challenge it in the courts and have accused the Democratic Administration of using it as part of the campaign to retain the Presidency.
The America First Legal organization, led by Stephen Miller, the ideologue of immigration policy during the presidency of Donald Trump (2017-2021), joined the conservatives in the lawsuit, which specifically names the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), its secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, and other White House officials.
Continue reading:
• 16 Republican states challenge aid program for undocumented spouses
• Biden’s immigration order for certain undocumented immigrants to obtain a Green Card applies only once
• USCIS will accept applications for Green Cards starting August 19 for certain undocumented immigrants