Biden to announce protections Tuesday for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens and ‘Dreamers’ (2024)

President Joe Biden will announce new protections Tuesday for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens, as well as streamline work visa access for some “Dreamers,” per three sources briefed by the White House.

The president’s executive action will shield undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation, allow them to obtain work authorization, as well as ease their path to permanent resident status, the three sources told PBS News. The announcement will be made at a White House event marking the 12th anniversary of an Obama-era action that protected undocumented youth brought to the U.S. as children from deportation.

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Undocumented spouses will qualify if they have been in the United States continuously for at least 10 years and are legally married as of June 17, the sources said. The undocumented spouses will have to meet other eligibility requirements and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

If the undocumented spouse qualifies for the benefits under Biden’s new executive action, they will have roughly three years to apply for permanent residency. During that time, they will be allowed to remain in the U.S. and will be eligible for a three-year work permit.

The executive action would mark the biggest relief program for undocumented immigrants who have long lived in the U.S. since former President Barack Obama enacted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012.

The action is expected to also provide protections to a population of undocumented children who are under the age of 21 and whose undocumented parent married a U.S. citizen, according to two of the sources briefed by the White House.

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The executive action will also make it easier for some undocumented migrants brought to the U.S. as children, also known as “Dreamers,” to receive work visas, according to the sources briefed by the White House. Dreamers would qualify if they have earned a degree from a U.S. college or university and have received a high-skilled job offer, sources told PBS News.

The action to protect undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens could affect an estimated 500,000 people, according to sources familiar with the White House’s plans, while the “Dreamers” action could benefit another 50,000 to 100,000 people. Undocumented immigrants who entered the country illegally often have to leave the U.S. for a set period of time before reentering legally and obtaining legal work status.

“Obviously, we don’t have any policy announcement to make at this time, but the president is certainly going to continue to address what we’re seeing at the border,” White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre said Monday during the White House news briefing. “The president has taken this very seriously. He wants to see action.”

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The White House declined to comment. Democrats have long pushed Biden to take such an action, arguing that it would be a boon to his reelection prospects, with an eye toward Latino voters in battleground states.

PBS News first reported last week that such an action could come Tuesday.