Today, President Biden announced a set of policies that will protect some undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation and allow them to work legally in the country and expand access to work visas for recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Community Change Action Co-President Lorella Praeli issued the following statement:
“I applaud President Biden’s decision to protect immigrant families who have lived in the country for a decade or longer, as well as DACA recipients and some undocumented immigrants who will have a streamlined process for work visas. If successfully implemented, roughly half a million people who are married to U.S. citizens will benefit, making this the biggest immigration policy victory since DACA was created 12 years ago. These combined steps will provide stability to more families and communities than any other policy under the Biden administration, and in turn, grow local economies. The common-sense actions taken today by the President are strongly supported by the American people and will keep families together by allowing them to live and work in the country lawfully. Although these policies will not holistically address the failures of the current immigration system, they are a significant step toward making it more just.
While there is still work ahead of us to modernize the current immigration system and create a pathway to citizenship for millions, today’s announcement is a renewed commitment to immigrant communities. We urge the President and Congress to build on today’s announcement to secure relief for millions more.”
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