By EFE
Jun 20, 2024, 8:32 PM EDT
Los Angeles, June 20, (EFE).- American citizen Antonio Valle and his wife Brenda have seen in the new program of President Joe Biden’s Government a hope for their immigration situation, after nearly fifteen years under the threat of deportation , but they are aware that political disputes could put an end to that illusion.
“We have been waiting for this opportunity for years. It is something that we deserve as an American family that we are and that we contribute to the United States with our work,” Valle, 38, told EFE.
The spouses, who reside in Los Angeles, would be one of those favored by the program announced by the White House last Tuesday aimed at protecting undocumented spouses of US citizens.
“We know that we cannot claim victory yet. It is very likely that the Republicans will sue against the benefit as they did with DACA,” warned EFE Brenda, 35, originally from Mexico.
The couple has lived in fear of the possible deportation of the Mexican, who entered the United States with her parents irregularly when she was barely three years old.
“It is a very hard burden that they impose on you and at times you think that you can no longer carry it,” adds the Hispanic woman.
His constant nightmare is that his children, Gohan, nine, and Seiya, five, have to live away from their father.
And Valle experienced firsthand in his childhood what family separation caused by immigration laws means. “For nine years we lived apart from my dad,” he remembers.
Valle has exhausted all resources to legalize Brenda. The response from the immigration lawyers has always been the same: she has to go to Mexico to complete the procedure and is exposed to a ten-year punishment to be able to return.
That is why they decided to let her remain undocumented in the United States and established ties with the Coalition for the Human Rights of Immigrants (CHIRLA) to fight to obtain the recognition they deserve.
Pride and hope
Antonio claims to be proud of what Brenda has achieved as an undocumented person. The immigrant has a degree in education with a master’s degree in history. “It would be a mistake for the country to waste all that talent and contribution to society, it is not just for my family,” she says.
The program that would favor the couple is based on a legal figure known as “parole,” which grants undocumented immigrants who are already in the United States protection against deportation and allows them to apply for a work permit.
But the most important thing is that the initiative “establishes an exception” to the rule that allows an application for permanent residence to be processed within the US for being married to a US citizen, only if one has entered legally or is protected. by Law 245I, as immigration lawyer Fernando Romo explained to EFE.
However, not all undocumented spouses of US citizens will qualify. The announced program requires that the applicant must have lived in the country for a minimum of 10 years and be married before June 17, 2024.
Furthermore, they should not be considered “inadmissible” for other reasons, such as having been previously deported or having a criminal record.
The measure also covers children under 21 years of age of the spouses of Americans who also do not have legal status.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates that more than 500,000 adults and about 50,000 minors will be able to apply for this permit. The majority are of Mexican or Central American nationality.
The program is expected to go into effect next summer, as announced by President Biden last Tuesday.
However, the initiative unleashed a cascade of criticism from Republicans. The America First Legal organization, chaired by Stephen Miller, the ideologue of immigration policy during the presidency of Donald Trump (2017-2021), said last Tuesday that he will seek to overthrow the program in court.
“We are aware that we still have to fight but at least there is hope and that already gives us courage,” Valle pointed out.
Ana Milena Varón.
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