Republican states sue to end federal program for undocumented migrants
Opponents are suing to end a federal program that could potentially give nearly half a million migrants without legal status who are 🔸married to US citizens 🔸a path to citizenship.
♦️Sixteen Republican-led states 🆘filed suit on Friday to #halt the program launched by Joe Biden in June,
saying in court filings that the Biden administration 🔹bypassed Congress to create a pathway to citizenship for 🔹“blatant political purposes”.
Under the policy,
👉which started taking applications on Monday, 👈many ❇️spouses without legal status can apply for something called “#parole #in #place”, ❇️offering permission to stay in the US,
apply for a #green #card
and eventually get on a path to #citizenship.
But the program has been particularly contentious in an election year in which immigration is a leading issue,
with many Republicans attacking the policy and labeling it #amnesty for people who broke the law.
The ❌suit filed against the Department of Homeland Security, the DHS secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, and other Biden administration officials ❌accuses the agency of attempting to parole spouses “en masse”, which the states contend is an abuse of power.
The bipartisan immigration and criminal justice organization #FWD.us noted the timing of the lawsuit
-- which was filed on the night Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for president
-- and said the program was in compliance with the law.
“The only motivation behind this lawsuit is the #cruelty of tearing families apart and the #crass #politics of hoping a judge might do the bidding of the anti-immigrant movement,” the organization said in a statement.
⭐️To be eligible for the program, immigrants must have lived #continuously in the US for 🔸at least 10 years, 🔸not pose a security threat or have a disqualifying criminal history, and 🔸have been married to a citizen by 17 June.🔸
They must 🔸pay a $580 fee to apply and 🔸fill out a lengthy application, including an explanation of why they #deserve #humanitarian #parole and a long list of supporting documents proving how long they have been in the country.
They 🔸apply to the Department of Homeland Security, and if approved, have 🔸three years to seek permanent residency.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/23/republican-lawsuit-biden-immigrant-citizenship-program?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other