White House Briefing on Immigration & DACA Executive Orders
In addition to vigorously defending the DACA policy, the administration has extended Affordable Care Act coverage to DACA recipients and introduced a reformed reunification program for families.
On Monday, senior officials from the Biden-Harris administration, including Steve Benjamin, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of Public Engagement, and Neera Tanden, White House Domestic Policy Advisor, welcomed over 70 business executives and civil rights leaders to the White House for a discussion on Preserving Pathways to Opportunity for All Americans.
At the event, business leaders—representing industries including manufacturing, finance, energy, retail, tech, and more—joined civil rights leaders and Congressional staff to share best practices and actions that will create pathways to opportunity, develop and retain talent, and secure diverse supply chains in order to grow successful enterprises that create American jobs.
The Biden-Harris administration and executives agreed that leveraging dedicated workers and the nation’s diversity is a core strength of the United States and will continue to benefit the U.S. economy. They also discussed that while talent is everywhere, opportunity is not – and recommitted to strengthening and expanding opportunity to maintain U.S. leadership in the global economy.
At a press conference today, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced the administration’s new immigration policies and changes to the DACA policy.
Implementing executive actions to bar migrants who cross our Southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum when encounters are high;
Deploying record numbers of law enforcement personnel, infrastructure, and technology to the Southern border;
Seizing record amounts of fentanyl at our ports of entry;
Revoking the visas of CEOs and government officials outside the U.S. who profit from migrants coming to the U.S. unlawfully; and
Expanding efforts to dismantle human smuggling networks and prosecuting individuals who violate immigration laws.
The White House believes that securing the border is essential. President Biden also believes in expanding lawful pathways and keeping families together, and that immigrants who have been in the United States for decades, paying taxes and contributing to their communities, are part of the social fabric of our country. The Day One immigration reform plan that the President sent to Congress reflects both the need for a secure border and protections for the long-term undocumented. While Congress has failed to act on these reforms, the Biden-Harris administration has worked to strengthen our lawful immigration system.
In addition to vigorously defending the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) policy, the administration has extended Affordable Care Act coverage to DACA recipients and streamlined, expanded, and instituted new reunification programs so that families can stay together while they complete the immigration process.
Biden announced new actions for people who have been here for many years to keep American families together and allow more young people to contribute to our economy.
Keeping American Families Together
Today, Biden said that the Department of Homeland Security will take action to ensure that U.S. citizens with noncitizen spouses and children can keep their families together.
This new process will help certain noncitizen spouses and children apply for lawful permanent residence – status that they are already eligible for – without leaving the country.
These actions will promote family unity and strengthen our economy, providing a significant benefit to the country and helping U.S. citizens and their noncitizen family members stay together.
In order to be eligible, noncitizens must – as of June 17, 2024 – have resided in the United States for 10 or more years and be legally married to a U.S. citizen, while satisfying all applicable legal requirements. On average, those who are eligible for this process have resided in the U.S. for 23 years.
Those who are approved after DHS’s case-by-case assessment of their application will be afforded a three-year period to apply for permanent residency. They will be allowed to remain with their families in the United States and be eligible for work authorization for up to three years. This will apply to all married couples who are eligible.
This action will protect approximately half a million spouses of U.S. citizens, and approximately 50,000 noncitizen children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to a U.S. citizen.
Easing the Visa Process for U.S. College Graduates, Including Dreamers
President Obama and then-Vice President Biden established the DACA policy to allow young people who were brought here as children to come out of the shadows and contribute to our country in significant ways. Twelve years later, DACA recipients who started as high school and college students are now building successful careers and establishing families of their own.
Today’s announcement will allow individuals, including DACA recipients and other Dreamers, who have earned a degree at an accredited U.S. institution of higher education in the United States, and who have received an offer of employment from a U.S. employer in a field related to their degree, to more quickly receive work visas.
Recognizing that it is in our national interest to ensure that individuals who are educated in the U.S. are able to use their skills and education to benefit our country, the administration is taking action to facilitate the employment visa process for those who have graduated from college and have a high-skilled job offer, including DACA recipients and other Dreamers.