Once again seeking to buy votes ahead of the 2024 election, Biden seems to be weighing “deportation relief” for illegal immigrants who married Americans. The decision could help more than 1.1 illegal immigrants stay in the country.
And the administration is not hiding its reasons for the potential decision. Biden thinks that backlash over the proposed amnesty will be countered by “sympathy votes” from Americans who would support these “mixed-status” couples.
The Biden administration’s proposed relief differs from the green card status that legal immigrants enjoy. “Mixed-status” couples involve one partner who cannot qualify for legal permanent residency because of breaking the law through multiple illegal entries into the US or using counterfeit legal documents to cross the border.
The program would offer a “parole in place” program only for those who illegally gained entrance into the US, not for those who overstayed legal visas or otherwise gained lawful entry into the US. Parole in place is the current policy for undocumented spouses of military members. The Biden administration has already twisted the program to admit hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian and Afghan immigrants and to offer a temporary amnesty for illegal immigrants who use the CBP One app.
It’s another example of Biden attempting to rewrite immigration law while maintaining that he lacks the
“power” to do so.
And another flagrant attempt, like student loan “forgiveness,” to buy votes.
It’s not surprising that the Biden administration wants to use parole in place in ways it was never intended to be used. In 2019, while campaigning against Biden, then-Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) suggested that parole in place could be used to grant amnesty for Obama’s two million “Dreamers.”
Matt O’Brien, the director of the conservative Immigration Reform Law Institute, notes that the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) doesn’t give illegal immigrants a “free pass” because they marry a US citizen, even if they have a child on American soil. “And the White House has no authority to unilaterally give them one,” he said.
Biden has repeatedly denied that he has the power to curb illegal immigration, despite his predecessor’s executive orders on the issue. However, one of the first things Biden did following his election was dismantling former President Donald Trump’s executive orders on the border – by executive orders.
Claiming to be powerless is an effective way to let the disaster at the southern border continue unchecked while appearing to want to stop it, another example of the current administration’s spineless approach to things that matter to the American people.
Poll after poll reveals that immigration is, in fact, something that matters very much to the American people. In March, a Gallup poll found that 26% of voters now think immigration is the second most prominent issue facing America, trailing only behind the economy.
Biden may be forced to take a stand, no matter how unpopular it will be to his voting base. According to sources, his “mixed-status couple” relief will be a way to appease illegal immigration advocates following any action his administration takes to reduce the unchecked flow at the border.
The mixed-status couples deportation relief is just one proposal the Biden administration has been discussing, including those seeking to provide amnesty and work permits for illegal immigrants who have essentially gotten away with their crime for extended periods. They settled on their current proposal because they think that Americans will be more sympathetic to illegal immigrants who have married citizens and now have families.
In December 2023, families with mixed immigration statuses and business leaders met with officials at the White House. Advocates have kept up discussions with key policy advisors like Neera Tanden, a domestic policy adviser, and Tom Perez, who leads the White House’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and acts as a link to Latino communities. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has also been part of meetings on the issue.
The proposed revamping of parole in place would allow the Biden administration to grant work permits to illegal immigrants married to citizens immediately. It also removes the hurdles for them to obtain green cards. In other words, it’s a way to sidestep the bureaucratic process that otherwise prevents them from legal citizenship.
Biden’s wishy-washy “stand” on illegal immigration echoes his stances on other vital policies, including the ongoing war in Gaza. By refusing to commit to any opinion or action, his administration can gaslight both parties and their voters simultaneously. It is the ultimate act of cowardice, but given the disastrous consequences of Biden’s policies, his refusal to definitively take sides is America’s best chance at survival.
