In a bold pre-election move, President Joe Biden announced sweeping protections for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants married to US citizens. Under the policy, undocumented spouses of US citizens will be shielded from deportation, provided work permits, and given a pathway to citizenship.
Marrying an American citizen is generally a pathway to US citizenship, but people who crossed the southern border illegally — rather than arriving in the country with a visa — must return to their home countries to complete the process for a green card, a process that could mean months away from family.
Biden’s move is a high-stakes gambit aimed at shoring up critical Latino support in swing states like Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia, which have sizable “mixed-status” household populations. But it also risks inflaming concerns over illegal immigration among moderate voters who’ve soured on his border policies.
Just weeks ago, Biden unveiled new asylum restrictions in an attempt to regain control of the southern border. These measures highlight how immigration has become an electoral tightrope, with Biden pandering to both pro- and anti-immigration blocs.