By Raul Castillo
Jun 18, 2024, 3:38 PM EDT
The new migrant regularization plan announced this Tuesday by President Joe Biden, which will allow some 500,000 people to obtain legal status in the United States, generated diametrically opposite reactions: while former President Donald Trump accused Biden of fomenting an “invasion ”, migrant NGOs and democrats celebrated the measure.
The plan, which will be officially announced this Tuesday at an event at the White House, makes it easier for migrants who do not have legal status in the country and are married to Americans to begin the process to obtain a residence permit.
The Government estimates that the migrants who will be able to benefit from this program have lived in the US for an average of 23 years, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security cited by the EFE news agency.
One of the first to react was former President Trump, through his campaign.
“Biden has created another invitation for illegal immigration through an amnesty order,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt wrote in a statement.
This same message was replicated by senator and close Trump ally Ted Cruz, who falsely claimed on his platform X account that the new measures will give migrants the right to vote.
However, the measure will take months to come into effect and will give migrants the opportunity to take only the first step in the process to obtain a residence permit in the United States. On the other hand, according to EFE, to vote you need to have citizenship, which is requested after completing a minimum of 5 years with a permanent residence permit.
Migrant advocates celebrate
Contrary to Republican rejection, migrant human rights defenders as well as Democratic leaders celebrated the measures taken by Biden.
Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’s Voice, defined the measures as historic and asserted that they will mark a watershed in the fight for immigrant rights.
“It is a victory for American families, our economy and our country,” Cárdenas said. “Hundreds of thousands of husbands, wives and children can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that they are one step closer to becoming citizens of the country they have long called home.”
Deirdre Schifeling, political and advocacy director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), highlighted Biden’s gesture of humanity and common sense.
“This act by the president is the kind of humane, common-sense action that has made America stronger, with resilient, hard-working, patriotic people pouring into our cities and small towns, building vibrant, stable lives and communities, generation after generation.” generation,” Schifeling said.
For her part, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, the only Latina in the Upper House, applauded the measure as a great step forward: “The Biden Government understands that it can invest in border security and defend migrant families,” she highlighted.
With information from EFE.
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