'Desperate for votes': Biden slammed amid reports White House is considering deportation relief for 1M illegal spouses of US citizens

WASHINGTON, DC: In a move that could potentially affect over a million individuals, the White House is reportedly mulling over granting deportation relief to those who entered the United States illegally before marrying American citizens.

The consideration is viewed as another strategic move by the Biden administration ahead of the upcoming November 5 election, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Potential relief for mixed-status couples

The proposal, aimed at assisting so-called "mixed-status couples," has been gaining traction since the summer of 2023, with administration officials believing that any potential backlash would be mitigated by voter sympathy for these couples.

According to estimates by the immigration advocacy group Fwd.us, approximately 1.1 million undocumented immigrants are married to American citizens.

Typically, immigrants who marry US citizens are eligible for green cards. However, many mixed-status couples face complications, with one partner being ineligible for legal permanent residency due to various reasons, including multiple illegal entries into the country or the use of forged documents.

Should the White House proceed with the plan, it is likely to implement a "parole in place" program. This program, akin to the existing one for spouses, parents, or children of active-duty military personnel and veterans, would allow eligible individuals to remain in the US in one-year increments, per the WSJ report.

Notably, any potential program would only apply to those who entered the country unlawfully, excluding individuals who overstayed their visas.

Moreover, the proposed order is expected to have specific criteria, such as a minimum duration of marriage, possibly ranging from five to ten years. President Biden has been under pressure to address border issues, even from within his own party, as sanctuary cities struggle with an influx of migrants, and chaos prevails at the US-Mexico border.

While the president has not committed to issuing executive actions to curb border crossings, he has expressed uncertainty about the extent of his authority in this regard.  “We’re examining whether or not I have that power,” Biden told Univision in an interview that aired April 9.

The administration has called on Congress to pass a bipartisan bill that includes funding for border security, blaming the lack of progress on the Republican majority in the House.

“There is no executive action — no executive action that the President can take — no matter how aggressive it could be, can deliver the significant policy reforms and additional — additional resources that Congress could have provided that Republicans rejected,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing in February.

Debate and criticism

The consideration of deportation relief has sparked intense debate, with critics arguing that such action would circumvent established immigration laws and incentivize illegal immigration. Matt O'Brien, director of the Immigration Reform Law Institute, criticized the potential move, labeling it as an abuse of executive authority and a departure from congressional oversight.

“The current administration has continually ignored any provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that it dislikes on ideological grounds  — and has attempted to unilaterally rewrite immigration law without the participation of Congress,” O’Brien told the New York Post.

“This is a continuation of an abusive trend, which began with DACA, and has now progressed to deliberate misuse of the parole authority and deferred enforced departure,” O’Brien continued. “I shudder to think what comes next.”

“The INA is very clear, people who broke our immigration laws don’t get a free pass simply because they marry a US citizen or have a child on US soil. And the White House has no authority to unilaterally give them one,” O’Brien added.

Former DHS official Ken Cuccinelli echoed these sentiments, expressing doubts about the administration's commitment to addressing fraud within the immigration system.

“There are already processes in place for the immigrant spouses of American citizens to obtain legal status,” Cuccinelli said. “They are rife with fraud that needs to be fixed, which I doubt this administration is interested in, so I suspect this is just another aspect of our immigration system that Joe Biden seems intent on making worse instead of fixing.”

Social media rips into Biden over amnesty plan

The news of the potential deportation relief sparked a flurry of reactions on social media, with many slamming President Biden.

"Where does he get this Mass Amnesty Power?" one posted on X.

"Why? Why can't they do it the old-fashioned way? You know; pay the fees, go through the process, sign the affidavit saying they won't become a burden (and enforce it), get the vaccinations, etc," another wrote.

"This guy is so desperate for votes," someone else commented.

"How much damage do we think he can do with the time he has left in this current administration? Will we have a country left come January?" another wondered.

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