Biden Announces Amnesty for 500K Undocumented Spouses
The Facts
US Pres. Joe Biden announced an executive order on Tuesday granting extended stays to immigrants who are illegally in the country but married to US citizens.
The move, called "parole in place," will give amnesty and a pathway to legal residency to around 500K spouses and 50K children under 21. Spouses must have been married by June 17 and lived in the country for at least 10 years.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
This is diplomacy at its finest. After cracking down on asylum crossings to reduce Americans' concerns over the border, Biden is now working to help the spouses of Americans who have patiently awaited legal residency for years. He's also being cautious about who's eligible by excluding those with criminal records. The president has taken swift action to protect the border while also simplifying the system for genuine residency applicants.
Republican narrative
This is a calculated effort to further discombobulate the immigration court system, leaving it ripe for fraud. As the government deals with a backlog of hundreds of thousands of regular cases, this new order allows illegals to either soar through the system thanks to a real marriage license or give them time to fabricate documents to abuse the system in the future. From open borders and expedited work permits to this new policy, immigration law no longer exists.
