The Biden administration launches program that will allow more than half a million migrants to regularize their status

More than half a million migrants living in the United States without legal status will benefit from a new program announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday from President Joe Biden's government.

The plan will allow for the regularization of the spouses of Americans, graduates from local universities, and those individuals who entered the country as children, as indicated in the DHS text.

Likewise, those who have lived in the territory "at least 10 years and are married to a U.S. citizen before June 17, 2024" will also be considered, as several media outlets had reported.

The actions seek to "promote family unity in the immigration process, consistent with the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to keep families together," the document states, which also highlights the importance of this policy in allowing residency to be processed within the national territory, something that was impossible under the previous regulation.

The current regulation states that "to apply for legal permanent residency, many non-citizens must first leave the United States and wait to be processed abroad, resulting in a prolonged, potentially indefinite period of separation from their American citizen relatives and causing enormous difficulties to all those involved. Consequently, these families live in fear and face deep uncertainty about their future."

The new process will take into account the time lived in the country and whether they do not pose a threat to public or national security. "If a non-citizen poses a threat to national or public security, the DHS will detain, deport, or refer them to other federal agencies for further investigation or prosecution, as appropriate," the document details.

According to government figures, around 50,000 stepchildren of U.S. citizens will be able to benefit from the new regulation, in addition to half a million migrants, who will have a three-year period to apply for permanent residency, once authorities review their case and approve their application.

During that period, they may remain in the U.S., apply for a work permit of up to three years, receive their "Green Card," and even apply for citizenship.

Having a highly qualified job offer as a prerequisite, graduates from US higher education centers will also benefit from Biden's reform that will make it easier to obtain work visas, as the so-called "dreamers" (young people who entered the US illegally as children under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA policy) will be able to access this measure.

According to the document, these measures are in line with actions previously taken by the Biden-Harris Administration, such as the implementation and updating of parole processes for family reunification for citizens of Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Cuba, and Haiti, among others.