President Biden is announcing a program offering a path to citizenship to hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the U.S. illegally who are married to U.S. citizens, a large-scale legalization effort that contrasts sharply with Republican rival Donald Trump's plan for mass deportations, Reuters reports. The program, which will roll out in coming months, will be open to an estimated 500,000 spouses who have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years as of June 17. Some 50,000 children under age 21 with a U.S.-citizen parent also will be eligible. The majority of people who would likely benefit are Mexicans. The program will allow the spouses and children to apply for permanent residence without leaving the U.S., removing a potentially lengthy process and family separation. They could eventually apply for U.S. citizenship.
Biden took office vowing to reverse many restrictive immigration policies of Trump. Faced with record levels of migrant arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border, Biden has toughened his approach. This month, Biden barred most migrants crossing the border from requesting asylum, a policy that mirrored a similar Trump-era asylum ban. Biden's planned legalization program for spouses of U.S. citizens could reinforce his campaign message that he supports a more humane immigration system and show how he differs from Trump, who has long taken a hardline stance on both legal and illegal immigration. Biden making the announcement at a White House event on Tuesday tied to the anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. DACA was launched in 2012 by former President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Biden and currently grants deportation relief and work permits to 528,000 people brought to the U.S. as children. The Biden administration will roll out guidance that could make it easier for DACA recipients to obtain skilled-work visas.