McAllen. A federal judge in Texas on Monday ordered a temporary suspension of new protections implemented by President Joe Biden’s administration that would provide a path to naturalization for immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens.
U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker ordered the suspension after 16 states, all with Republican attorneys general, challenged the program in a lawsuit filed Friday, saying the move would encourage illegal immigration.
Biden announced the program in June and the suspension comes a week after the Department of Homeland Security began accepting applications.
The order suspends the program for at least two weeks while the legal process continues.
“The allegations are significant and merit a closer look than the court has been able to give them thus far,” Campbell wrote.
The program offers spouses of U.S. citizens who do not have legal status — but who meet certain criteria — a path to naturalization by allowing them to apply for a green card and remain in the country while the process is carried out. Traditionally, the process could include a wait of several years outside the United States, causing what activists compare to a “separation of families.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Several families received notification that their applications had been received, according to attorneys representing families who qualify to enroll in the program and who had filed a motion to intervene earlier Monday.
“Texas should not be able to decide the fate of hundreds of thousands of American citizens and their immigrant spouses without confronting their reality,” Karen Tumlin, founder and director of the Justice Action Center, said during a press conference before the order was announced.
The coalition of states accused the government of bypassing Congress for “blatant political ends.”
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– 2024-08-27 07:27:23
