The idea is to employ the tool known as “parole in place” to allow undocumented immigrants to access work permits and eventually open a path to U.S. citizenship.

President Joe Biden's administration is considering granting temporary legal status to undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens.

The idea is to use the tool known as “parole in place” to allow undocumented immigrants access to work permits and eventually open a path to U.S. citizenship.

Samuel Venegas is Mexican and came to the country 17 years ago across the southern border and has made a life for himself in the United States. He has been married to a U.S. citizen for eight years now, and they have two children.

“I believe that this parole that the president wants to make will benefit not only those of us who are here, but also the families of each one of us who are in our countries because we will have the peace of mind to be able to travel,” Venegas said. “That's what we are asking for, to be able to travel to reconnect and in some way also, to give an affectionate hug to our loved ones who are there.”

For Venegas, the hardest thing has been not being able to see her daughter grow up in Mexico, not being able to say a last goodbye to family members or attend her younger brother's wedding. He also believes that this opportunity will benefit the country.

“They are also going to open many more job opportunities, employment and growth opportunities to this country. The economy is also going to grow since we as Hispanics contribute to this country, just like an American here or a person born in this country with all the rights and benefits,” he said.

Approximately a little more than one million undocumented immigrants are married to U.S. citizens and cannot normalize their immigration status for reasons detailed by attorney Katherine Canto.

“When a person has had double reentry-when a person is married to a U.S. citizen, but has entered the U.S. more than once undocumented-then the law punishes them and does not allow them to proceed with any case even though they are married to a U.S. citizen and there are other cases such as fraud issues. If the person has committed certain frauds, even if they are married to a citizen, they cannot continue with their process,” he explained. 

This proposal has been under evaluation since the summer of last year. For some specialists, the measure would be a measure in the face of the upcoming elections, as was the consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA.

“They can do that whenever they want. That's an executive action that doesn't need to be approved by Congress and that the president has the power to be able to do that, just sign it and put it into law,” Canto said. 

For now, remember: there is still no measure approved, so be careful not to fall into the hands of scammers. The recommendation is to seek a certified immigration attorney to resolve doubts or questions.

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