By EFE
24 Aug 2024, 07:47 AM EDT
Los Angeles – Immigrant advocates on Friday condemned an attempt by a coalition of 16 Republican states to block President Joe Biden’s government’s new immigration regularization plan, which is expected to benefit nearly half a million undocumented immigrants who are spouses or stepchildren of U.S. citizens.
The group of 16 states, led by Texas, filed a lawsuit Friday seeking to halt the implementation of the Keeping Families Together program, arguing that it violates the Constitution, the Administrative Procedure Act and immigration laws.
Angelica Salas, director of the Coalition for Human Rights of Immigrants (CHIRLA), said in a statement that “the right of American citizens to file a petition on behalf of their family or loved one is being frustrated by Texas and other states.”
The activist said the lawsuit is unfounded and only “seeks to disrupt” the lives of half a million immigrants.
For his part, Oscar Chacón, executive director of Alianza Americas, a network of organizations led by immigrants of Latin American and Caribbean origin, described the demand as “deeply racist and deeply xenophobic,”
“This is an openly anti-Mexican measure, since it is well known that many of the potential beneficiaries of this program are Mexican citizens,” the activist added.
The program, which opened for registration last Monday, is based on the so-called “parole in place,” which grants temporary permission to remain in the U.S., offering protection from deportation.
The regularization plan also grants undocumented immigrants the possibility of obtaining a work permit.
But most importantly, it allows beneficiaries to complete the process to obtain permanent residency in the U.S. by being married to or being the stepchild of an American citizen without having to leave the country.
The program requires that the applicant must have lived in the country for a minimum of 10 years and be married before June 17.
The Biden administration has estimated that approximately 500,000 spouses of U.S. citizens and about 50,000 stepchildren will be eligible for the program.
Salas said that since Monday, her Los Angeles-based organization has received “hundreds of calls” and has helped hundreds of mixed-status families who qualify for the benefit, and urged eligible immigrants to apply for the protection as soon as possible.
In that regard, Abdiel Echevarría Caban, lead attorney for the Union of the Entire People (LUPE), an organization based in Texas, indicated that this new lawsuit “should not discourage people from seeking support or help.”
Since it was announced last June, ultraconservative sectors have threatened to challenge it in the courts and have accused the Democratic Administration of using it as part of the campaign to retain the Presidency.
The America First Legal organization, led by Stephen Miller, the ideologue of immigration policy during the presidency of Donald Trump (2017-2021), joined the conservatives in the lawsuit, which specifically names the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), its secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, and other White House officials.
Continue reading:
Regularization plan begins: half a million migrants are urged to register
Mexico’s northern border fears wave of migration due to Biden’s regularization plan
Green cards for undocumented spouses of Americans: “A hope for many”