Biden under pressure to grant amnesty to 1 million illegal immigrants
President Biden is considering more liberal moves on immigration in response to pressure from the left, with reports suggesting a potential deportation shield for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants already in the U.S.
Last week, Biden announced an executive order to limit the ability of illegal immigrants to claim asylum at the southern border. While Republican critics deemed it insufficient and argued that it has not yet impacted border numbers, the move did trigger backlash from liberals, leading to condemnation from some Democratic lawmakers and a threat of immediate legal action from civil rights organizations.
In anticipation of criticism from the left, Biden hinted at further reforms to create a more equitable immigration system.
“Today, I have spoken about what we need to do to secure the border. In the weeks ahead — and I mean the weeks ahead — I will speak to how we can make our immigration system more fair and more just,” he stated on Tuesday.
The White House has been exploring a potential “parole in place” initiative that would allow illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens to apply for protection. Parole in place is currently utilized annually for family members of U.S. military personnel, shielding them from deportation and granting work permits. The New York Times revealed that the new scheme for spouses could include a potential pathway to citizenship, although details remain vague.
Broadly, the Biden administration has used parole to admit over 1,500 individuals daily through ports of entry using the CBP One app, as well as 30,000 individuals monthly through parole processes for nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
For months, there have been speculations about using parole in place as a potential policy move, directly advocated for by immigration activists. FWD.us, an immigration advocacy group, estimates that there are approximately 1.1 million illegal spouses of U.S. citizens residing in the U.S. If granted citizenship, this group could contribute an estimated $16 billion to the economy.
“Mr. Biden can rise to the moment by leveraging the parole power to fulfill his promise to keep families together,” stated Andrea Flores, a vice president for immigration policy and campaigns in a Times op-ed.
President Biden has advocated for an immediate immigration bill that includes a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, which has faced strong opposition in Congress, particularly from Republicans. Another bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate earlier this year, supported by the administration, has also struggled to gain sufficient backing.
Expanding parole measures would likely be met with resistance from immigration hardliners, who accuse Biden of abusing parole authority and prioritizing illegal immigrants over U.S. citizens.
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) has criticized any potential parole expansion as an “abuse” of authority to grant “amnesty” to illegal immigrants.
“While these so-called mixed-status families may elicit sympathies, our immigration laws have a process for illegal alien spouses of U.S. citizens to follow to absolve their violations — a process the Biden Administration is ignoring to ease the burden on illegal aliens,” said AFPI’s Robert Law last month.
“This parole scheme could also be a starting point to ‘parole in place’ even larger, less sympathetic classes of illegal aliens, which would frustrate efforts by a future America First administration to enforce U.S. immigration law and remove illegal aliens from the country,” he added.
The potential impact of such a move on the upcoming November election remains uncertain. Polls have shown Biden struggling with voters on the issue of the crisis at the southern border. Still, his campaign may view a parole expansion as a strategy to strengthen support in crucial swing states like Arizona and Nevada.
