In a blow to President Biden’s immigration initiatives, a Texas judge has temporarily halted a program aimed at offering citizenship paths for certain undocumented individuals married to U.S. citizens.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker comes as a new legal challenge to the Biden administration’s efforts to reform immigration in the U.S.
Introduced in June, the program would have allowed undocumented spouses to stay in the U.S. while they applied for green cards, eliminating the lengthy waiting period that usually requires applicants to leave the country. Supporters claimed it would help prevent family separations and make the immigration process smoother for those already living and working in the U.S.
However, a coalition of 16 states, spearheaded by Republican attorneys general, filed a lawsuit last Friday arguing that the program encourages illegal immigration and imposes financial strains on states managing undocumented populations.
BREAKING: We have temporarily BLOCKED Biden’s unlawful new “parole in place” program.
Biden’s unconstitutional scheme would have rewarded over 1 million illegal aliens with the opportunity for citizenship after breaking our country’s laws—and incentivized countless more.
This… https://t.co/TemDs5FOrL
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) August 27, 2024
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, an outspoken critic of Biden’s immigration policies, took to social media to celebrate the ruling, stating, “We have temporarily BLOCKED Biden’s unlawful new ‘parole in place’ program.” He characterized the initiative as an “unconstitutional scheme” that would have allowed over a million undocumented individuals the chance for citizenship after violating U.S. laws.
The Department of Homeland Security had only started accepting applications for the program a week earlier. Judge Barker’s temporary injunction halts the initiative for at least two weeks while the court reviews the legal challenge. Barker remarked that the claims against the program are significant enough to require further scrutiny.
The states involved in the lawsuit argue that undocumented populations impose considerable costs on state resources. For instance, Texas claims it spends tens of millions each year on healthcare and law enforcement related to undocumented residents.
This case adds to the series of challenges facing the Biden administration as it attempts to reshape immigration policy. Since he took office, Biden has aimed to reverse many of the tight restrictions set by Donald Trump’s administration but has consistently faced opposition from Republican states and conservative courts.
This story is still developing and will be updated as new information emerges.