Reuters

The newspaper La Jornada
Thursday, September 5, 2024, p. 26

Washington. A judge yesterday suspended President Joe Biden’s government’s legalization program for immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens.

The decision by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker of Texas puts the Keeping Families Together initiative on hold until Sept. 23 to allow for the filing of legal briefs and a possible hearing.

In August, the government opened the application period for the Keeping Families Together program, which offers a path to citizenship to nearly 500,000 immigrants who entered the country as undocumented immigrants, if they are married to U.S. citizens and have resided there for at least 10 years.

Without this option, many would have to leave the United States for years before being able to return with proper documents.

The plan also allows about 50,000 minors under 21 with a U.S. citizen parent to obtain temporary immigration status. probation which also offers a path to citizenship.

Texas and a coalition of states with Republican attorneys general sued to end Biden’s program, alleging it overstepped the executive branch’s authority to grant legal immigration status to people who entered the country without authorization and evaded U.S. immigration law.

Biden announced the initiative in June before dropping out of the race for the White House against Republican Donald Trump.

Previously, it was reported that Biden administration officials are considering tightening the asylum ban to maintain the reduction in illegal border crossing rates with Mexico.