Sixteen Republican-led states sue over program to give immigrant spouses of US citizens legal status
FILE-People who crossed the US/Mexico border are directed to line up by a national guardsman on their way to a border patrol processing area located on the banks of the Rio Grande. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Sixteen Republican-led states filed a lawsuit Friday to end a program that would grant nearly half a million immigrants without legal status who are married to American citizens a path to citizenship.
The group is attempting to stop the program called Keeping Families Together, which was launched by President Joe Biden in June.
Republicans contend in court documents that the Biden administration sidestepped Congress to create a pathway to citizenship for immigrants for political reasons.
According to the AP, the suit is filed against the Department of Homeland Security, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other Biden administration officials accusing the agency of trying to parole spouses which the GOP-led states assert is an abuse of power. The states also filed a motion asking for the program to put on hold while the lawsuit moves forward.
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Republicans argued that the policy is a pardon for individuals who broke the law.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody told the Associated Press her state is challenging the parole in place policy because she believes the Biden administration "is illegally using ‘parole’ in a systematic way to advance their open-borders agenda."
In a statement obtained by the AP, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the policy "violates the Constitution and actively worsens the illegal immigration disaster that is hurting Texas and our country."
What is the Keeping Families Together program?
Under the program, spouses without legal status can apply for something called "parole in place," offering permission to stay in the U.S., apply for a green card and eventually get on a path to citizenship, the Associated Press reported.
Immigrants are eligible for the program if they have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years, do not present a security threat or have a disqualifying criminal history, and have been married to a citizen by June 17, 2024.
The fee to apply is $580 and an application must be submitted. According to the AP, the Biden administration projects 500,000 people could be eligible, plus about 50,000 of their children.