BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ADVANCES AFFIRMATIVE RELIEF FOR HUNDRED OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN FAMILIES AND DREAMERS

The state’s largest immigration coalition endorses the recent Executive Order, calls for permanent fixes to our immigration and asylum systems

Newark, NJ (June 18, 2024) - New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice applauds President Biden’s decision to use his parole authority to protect roughly half a million spouses of U.S. citizens, including eligible DACA recipients, from deportation through Executive Order (EO). The EO also provides access to work authorization and a possible path to permanent residency and citizenship. While the initiative provides relief for long-established immigrants, it falls short of addressing the many reasons why some families are undocumented to begin with and does nothing to fix bureaucratic and legal obstacles in immigration and asylum policy.

"The Executive Order signed by President Biden is a step forward. It has the potential to establish a pathway to citizenship for many individuals in mixed-status families and for Dreamers who arrived in this country at a young age and have spent their entire lives here," said Erik Cruz Morales, Policy and Advocacy Manager with NJ Alliance for Immigrant Justice. "However, this is a step the President could and should have taken much earlier in his administration. Speaking from my experience as an immigrant and an advocate, I can't help but feel that this action comes only as an anticipation to the approaching presidential elections. We hope that the implementation of this program is efficient and swift, enabling people to benefit from this executive order as soon as possible, but we also urge the Biden administration and Congress to work on immigration policy that stands separate from the polarization of election cycles."

In New Jersey alone, there are approximately 16,500 DACA recipients and 11,000 spouses married to a U.S citizen who could potentially benefit from this Executive Order. Today’s decision by the Biden Administration marks a positive stride toward addressing those left behind by our broken immigration system. However, significant work remains to fix the problems that create mixed status families to begin with, including addressing issues such as the appointment of judges, reducing case backlogs, restoring the right to asylum, and establishing pathways to citizenship for immigrant populations not covered by this Executive Order. NJAIJ and its members remain committed to advocating for policies that empower and protect immigrants.

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New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice is the state’s largest immigration coalition, bringing together over 55 member organizations to fight for policies that empower and protect immigrants.