Federal Judge Strikes Down “Parole in Place” Program
Federal Judge Strikes Down Parole in Place, a Program that Protected Undocumented Spouses Married to U.S. CitizensTrump’s election victory sets the stage for a swift crackdown on people without proper documentation after announcing during his campaign a “mass deportation.”
A federal judge on Thursday struck down the Biden administration’s “parole in place” program that sought to ease the path to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens. The program, lauded as one of the president’s largest initiatives to help migrant families in years, allowed spouses and stepchildren of undocumented U.S. citizens to apply for a green card without having to leave the country first. The anti-deportation measure provided a brief sense of security for the estimated 500,000 people who could benefit from it, until U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker in Texas suspended it in August, days after the applicants filed the paperwork. Barker ruled on Thursday, Nov. 7, that the administration had overstepped its powers by enforcing the rule and stretched the legal interpretation of the relevant immigration law “beyond its breaking point.” Biden’s short-lived initiative, known as “Keeping Families Together,” was unlikely to stick around after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. But its early end creates greater uncertainty for migrant families, as many prepare for the Republican’s return to the White House. Trump’s election victory sets the stage for a swift crackdown on people without proper documentation after announcing during his campaign a “mass deportation.” At his rallies, the Republican inflamed his supporters with a series of anti-immigrant statements, including that they were “poisoning the blood” of the nation. Judge was appointed by Trump During his first term, Trump appointed Barker as a judge in Tyler, Texas, which is on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a favorable place for those defending conservative arguments. Barker had suspended the immigration program after Texas and 15 other states, led by their Republican attorney generals, filed a legal challenge accusing the executive of circumventing Congress to help migrant families for “blatant political purposes.” Republicans argued that the initiative came at a cost to their states and could attract more migrants to the United States. The measure would have applied to people who have lived continuously in the country for at least 10 years, do not pose a security threat and have used the legal tool known as “parole in place,” which offers protections against deportation. Those married to a U.S. citizen before June 17, the day before the program was announced, could pay an application fee of $580 and fill out a lengthy application explaining why they deserved to benefit from the initiative. If approved, applicants would have three years to apply for permanent residency and obtain a work permit. With limited options It was not immediately clear Thursday whether anyone had been accepted into the program, which received applications for about a week before the federal judge put it on hold. Non-citizen spouses can legalize their status, but they must typically apply from their home countries. The process typically includes a wait of several years outside the United States, which can separate family members with different immigration statuses. |