Immigrant Rights Advocates Demand Biden-Harris Administration Defend Program
New York, NY—Yesterday, U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker ruled against the Keeping Families Together (KFT) program, which aims to expand access to the parole in place program for long-term undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens, as well as the step-children of U.S. citizens. This program could have temporarily protected up to 500,000 immigrants from deportation – including 20,000 immigrant New Yorkers – and allow them to apply for work authorization and potentially apply for permanent residency without having to leave the country.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition said:
“Judge Barker issued a huge blow to hundreds of thousands of American families, including 20,000 New Yorkers, by striking down the Keeping Families Together program. The Biden-Harris program would provide a pathway for noncitizen spouses and noncitizen stepchildren of U.S. citizens to continue to live with their families, contribute to our communities, and grow our economy, without fear of separation from their loved ones. This ruling has jeopardized that hope, making families once again vulnerable to the harsh realities of an immigration system that prioritizes punishment over justice and family unity. We urge the Biden-Harris administration to immediately appeal Judge Barker’s ruling, preventing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s and 15 other Republican Attorneys General's cruel lawsuit from tearing apart 500,000 individuals in mixed-status families. It’s far past time for our leaders to stop playing politics with people’s lives, and for the courts to rectify this injustice.”
Background
On June 18, 2024, the Biden administration and the Department of Homeland Security announced new actions that would support the ability of undocumented Americans to work and remain in the country with their families without fear of deportation while they pursue a pathway to legal status.
The Biden administration’s Keep Families Together parole process began accepting applications on August 19th, 2024 to allow undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens, as well as the step-children of citizens, the opportunity to adjust their status in the US without being separated from their families, their communities, and their work. Building off existing authorities, a process for “Parole in Place” will apply to undocumented spouses of United States citizens who have resided in the U.S. for at least ten years and meet other eligibility requirements. This new process could keep an estimated 500,000 people in the country – affecting a total of 2 million family members – and upwards of 20,000 undocumented New Yorkers.