As 33-year-old Rosa Elena and her husband Everk Sanchez watched President Biden’s announcement, they could scarcely believe what they were hearing. It was good news they had been waiting for for years.
On 18 June 2024, President Biden announced a new amnesty policy that would make spouses of American citizens who had entered the US illegally to change their immigrant status.
“They’ve been living in the United States for at least ten years.’ These couples have been raising families, sending their kids to church and school, paying taxes, contributing to our country for ten years or more. Matter of fact, the average time they’ve spent here is 23 years. People who were affected today, living in the United States all this time with fear and uncertainty. We can fix that. And that’s what I’m going to do today, fix it,” he announced to cheers.
When Rosa Elena came to the US from Mexico with her parents, she was 11-years-old. Multiple trips back and forth meant that her request to change her immigration status was denied.
“When I went back in 2009, I was there for just two weeks when this drug dealer started chasing me and harassing me, so that’s the reason why I had to come back right away. I did it illegally through the border, so I was arrested,” explains Rosa Elena.
As an illegal immigrant into the US, there was always the fear that she would be thrown out. That’s why Biden’s amnesty announcement comes as a big relief.
WHAT IS CURRENT AMERICAN POLICY TO CHANGE IMMIGRANT STATUS?
The current US immigration policy for migrants who came in illegally to the US and want to legalise their status involves them leaving the country. But the wait to regain entry into the United States can take years and that means families are forced to endure the separation till the paperwork is processed. With Biden’s new policy, spouses who entered illegally will not have to leave the country to change their immigration status.
The new announcement is expected to be open to 500,000 spouses who have lived in the United States for at least 10 years as of June 17, as per US officials. Some 50,000 children under age 21 with a US-citizen parent also will be eligible.
IMMIGRATION HAS EMERGED AS A BIG ELECTION ISSUE
Immigration has emerged as a big issue ahead of the US Presidential elections scheduled for November 5.
And while Biden is doing a tightrope walk with his recent ban on new entries from the Mexico border, he’s also trying to show that he supports a more humane approach to immigration. In contrast, Donald Trump has wasted no time to attack Biden on the policy announcement. “This Biden amnesty is a direct attack on American democracy,” claimed Donald Trump.
At a rally in Wisconsin, the presumptive Republican candidate said, “When I am re-elected, Joe Biden’s illegal amnesty plan will be ripped apart and thrown out on the very first day that we’re back in office.” It’s exactly this kind of political uncertainty that worries families like the Sanchez. If Biden doesn’t win another term, there’s no guarantee the policy would continue.
