Washington, D.C.—Church World Service (CWS) today applauded President Biden for newly announced executive actions that have the potential to provide stability and permanence for hundreds of thousands of undocumented community members with longstanding roots in this country. The actions would offer undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens—who have lived in the United States for at least ten years—protection from deportation and authorization to legally work. The actions would also streamline a waiver process that could open the door for many DACA recipients to access employment visas and find more stable status.
“The relief announced today by the Biden administration could have a life-changing positive impact on hundreds of thousands of families, providing an assured path forward for many of our neighbors,” said Rick Santos, President and CEO of CWS. “It is heartening to see the administration take bold action to protect individuals and families who have long been integral members of their communities and their country. Still, there is more to be done to strengthen and expand paths to permanent status, both for those who have long called the United States home and for those arriving at our doors fleeing persecution and seeking safety.”
Today’s executive actions include the extension of “parole in place” to as many as 50,000 undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens and 50,000 children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to a U.S. citizen, expanding on discretionary relief already offered to certain mixed-status military families. This relief is necessary in part because in many cases, family members who entered the United States without authorization face punitive bars on their ability to adjust their status, even if they joined American communities years or decades ago.
CWS encourages the administration and Congress to build on today’s progress by providing protections from deportation for undocumented caregivers, addressing the family-based visa green card backlog, strengthening the U.S. refugee admissions program, funding integration services for new arrivals, and implementing humane and effective border solutions to expand our capacity to welcome.
Church World Service is a faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster.
For more information contact CWS at media@cwsglobal.org.