A federal judge annulled President Biden’s executive order ‘parole in place’ on Thursday, which aimed to grant legal status to undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens.
This executive order was designed to protect undocumented immigrants who are spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation, allowing them to remain in the United States while navigating the process for permanent residency, commonly referred to as a “green card.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates that over two-thirds of non-citizens married to U.S. citizens are in the country without proper admission or parole, rendering them ineligible for status adjustment. Under the initiative ‘Keeping Families Together,’ approximately 500,000 non-citizen spouses and 50,000 non-citizen stepchildren could have qualified for parole.
President Biden signed this order in June, but just days before its planned implementation in August, it was paused by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker in Texas, following a lawsuit joined by 15 Republican-led states.
In his 74-page ruling, Barker asserted that the Biden administration had overreached by implementing the program, stating that their interpretation of immigration law exceeded legal limits.
“The Biden administration and Kamala Harris have created a crisis at the southern border, and the American people are bearing the consequences. Faced with the federal government’s failure to act, states like Missouri had no choice but to step in and protect our southern border,” stated Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a key figure in the lawsuit, in a press release. “We filed a lawsuit to ensure that millions of undocumented individuals do not invade our communities.”
The brief initiative once known as ‘Keeping Families Together’ is likely to be scrapped again if Donald Trump is re-elected next January. The swift annulment of the program, alongside the administration’s proposals for massive deportations and the potential cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, has left the immigrant community in a state of uncertainty.
This ruling marks a significant shift in immigration policy that potentially jeopardizes the lives of many families. However, the ongoing conversation around immigrant rights and advocacy efforts continues to grow, suggesting that community-led initiatives could arise to support those affected. As public attention remains focused on immigration issues, there is hope that compassionate and inclusive reforms could emerge in the future.