American President Joe Biden announces measures to ease procedures for granting citizenship to illegal migrants who have married American citizens , reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Biden made the move, which is unprecedented in its scale in modern US history, months before the presidential election. His Republican opponent in the primary race – Donald Trump, for his part, has promised that if he becomes the head of the White House, he will undertake mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
About 500,000 people who have been living illegally in the US for at least 10 years will be able to benefit from Biden's new program. Nearly 50,000 children and minors will also have the right to obtain citizenship.
Biden, who is seeking a second term in November's presidential election, took office promising to reverse many of his predecessor Trump's restrictive immigration policies.
The record number of illegal migrants apprehended along the US-Mexico border, however, has recently forced Biden to take more decisive action. The Democratic president this month imposed an asylum ban that affects most migrants entering illegally from Mexico. A similar ban was also in place during Trump's time, and even then it caused criticism from human rights activists and some representatives of the Democratic Party.
Biden's planned program to grant citizenship to undocumented immigrants who marry US citizens, however, could make clearer his campaign's message that he supports a more humane immigration system and show how his approach differs from that of his rival Trump.
The United States now offers citizenship to migrants who have married Americans and entered the country legally with a visa. But in most cases, these individuals must first return to their home country and remain there for years before they are allowed to return to the US legally.
The new program will allow migrants married to Americans, as well as their children, to apply for permanent residency without leaving the US. If they get a green card, they could also apply for US citizenship. Individuals who are considered a threat to public security or have criminal records will not be able to apply.