(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden is expected to announce that those under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will be able to receive work visas faster Tuesday.
At an event marking the 12th anniversary of DACA, Biden is also set to talk about a program he unveiled Monday called “Parole in Place,” which gives some immigrant spouses of American citizens a path to citizenship while staying in the country.
Both of these come just two weeks after the president announced a series of executive actions aimed at limiting the flow of illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. Included in this were measures making people who cross the southern border unlawfully ineligible for asylum, barring unusual circumstances, as well as higher standards for what constitutes threats of violence or torture in someone’s country of origin.
While this move angered immigration advocates, one told NewsNation that his announcements this week regarding DACA and protection for immigrant spouses are a “step in the right direction.”
To receive their work visas more quickly, DACA recipients must have earned a degree at an accredited U.S. institution of higher education and also have an offer of employment from an American employer related to their degree, the White House said.
Meanwhile, the new protections for spouses of citizens in the country unlawfully will provide legal status and protections for about 500,000 American families and roughly 50,000 noncitizen children of immigrants who are under the age of 21.
While the current law states that spouses in the country illegally must leave the U.S. to apply for legal status based on marriage, Parole in Place would allow them to stay in the country as they wait. The plan would also allow a pathway for stepchildren of those U.S. citizens who are under 21 years old.
To be eligible for Parole in Place, noncitizen spouses must be legally married to a U.S. citizen and have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years. They also cannot be a threat to national security or public safety.
Republicans, including President Biden’s rival in the 2024 election, former President Donald Trump, slammed the plan. Trump’s campaign said in a statement to NewsNation that it’s a “mass amnesty plan.”