President Joe Biden criticized the suspension of Parole in Place (PIP) by a Texas court on Wednesday and stated that the United States is not a country that separates families.
"A single district court in Texas ruled that my administration's work to keep families together must stop. That decision is wrong. Families should not be unnecessarily separated: they should be able to stay together. My administration will not stop fighting for them," he said in a post on X.
In a statement released by the White House, the president added that with this objective, his administration announced new measures in June to keep families together, providing a possibility for foreign spouses of Americans who have been living in the country for 10 years or more to access residency in the United States.
The measure came into effect on August 19 when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched the new immigration process aimed at thousands of undocumented immigrants who meet certain specific criteria and who could be one step closer to obtaining their residency in the country.
The PIP is designed to consider, on a case-by-case basis, the applications of individuals who are married to American citizens, who have resided in the United States for 10 years or more, and who do not pose a threat to public or national security.
"These marriages – in which one spouse is a U.S. citizen and the other has been living in the United States for ten years or more – include our neighbors who have been working, raising their families, paying taxes, worshiping with us, and sending their children to school. They have become our friends, our neighbors, and our colleagues. They are the parents of our children's best friends. They have become invaluable contributors to our communities. They make us a better country," Biden expressed.
It explains that their proposal would allow these long-time residents to present the documentation along with their families; but without the Keeping Families Together process, spouses of U.S. citizens will not be able to remain in the United States while obtaining the long-term legal status for which they are already eligible.
However, last night a district court in Texas ruled that the program must be halted, to which Biden responded, "I am not interested in playing politics with the border or immigration; I am interested in solving problems."
He criticized that with the blocking of the initiative "they will be forced to leave their families in the United States or to live in the shadows with the constant fear of deportation."
"I am also not interested in separating families. That is not who we are as Americans. I will continue to fight to secure our border and fix our broken immigration system," Biden assured.
The Parole in Place program could grant temporary legal status to about 500,000 immigrants and 50,000 minors.
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