FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Laura Trask
Director of Development & Communications
[email protected]
Washington, D.C. (June 18, 2024) – Today, the Biden Administration announced a new executive action that extends Parole in Place to undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens. The program allows people to adjust their immigration status and receive work authorization without having to leave the U.S. and be separated from their families.
The Administration also announced a waiver program that will allow Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, and other undocumented college graduates, to more easily obtain work visas. This will lead to more “Dreamers” being able to access a more secure status and provide pathways to citizenship in the future.
Together, these programs constitute the most significant positive policy changes for immigrant families since the DACA program was implemented 12 years ago. They have the potential to impact millions of people who have called the U.S. home for many years.
“Today’s announcement will protect so many families who are currently forced to choose between seeking lawful immigration status and being with their loved ones,” said Sandra Benavente, Ayuda’s advocacy manager. “For more than 50 years, our attorneys have been helping family members apply for immigration relief, adjust their status, and access pathways to citizenship. Every piece of compassionate immigration reform, like Parole in Place, gives our immigrant clients a better chance of accessing justice.”
Unfortunately, the asylum restrictions announced earlier this month undercut today’s news. Ayuda urges the Biden Administration to reverse course on the policy, which is already harming immigrants seeking safety at our border.
Ayuda remains committed to helping immigrants of all backgrounds access justice. We thank the Biden Administration for this positive use of its legal authority and urge the continuation of actions that improve the lives of immigrants and make our communities better for it.
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About Ayuda:
Ayuda provides direct legal, social, and language access services to low-income immigrants in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Since 1973, Ayuda has served more than 150,000 immigrants throughout the region. Ayuda is the only nonprofit service provider in the area that provides a wide range of immigration and family law assistance, social services, and language access support for all immigrants – including women, men, and children – from anywhere in the world. Visit www.ayuda.com to learn more.