As Biden administration considers implementation parameters, U.S. citizens impacted joins Congresswoman Delia Ramirez and 21 House Lawmakers in a letter to the administration for broad and generous relief
Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Delia Ramirez and dozens of Members of Congress are calling on the Biden-Harris administration and U.S. Department of Homeland Security to implement broad and generous relief for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens and Dreamers following his executive actions announced in June.
Ashley DeAzevedo, President American Families United (NJ): “As a directly impacted U.S. citizen, I thank Congresswoman Delia Ramirez for urging President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas to provide generous relief for my husband Sergio. The Biden administration and Department of Homeland Security must implement this policy as broadly and generously as possible by exercising discretion in cases where undocumented spouses of American citizens may face ineligibility due to bad legal advice, the necessity to work, or to visit and care for sick or dying family members.”
Al Cardenas, Co-Chairman, American Business Immigration Coalition (FL): “ABIC applauds President Biden for this commonsense executive action granting work permits and legal status for the undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens. In this critical period of implementation, we hope the relief is generous and inclusive not only to benefit the spouses but also because it is good for businesses and everyday Americans.”
Congresswoman Ramirez, who led the letter, added: “The administration invited our communities to celebrate the most significant positive policy change for immigrants and their families since DACA, only to learn that hundreds of thousands of noncitizen members of mixed-status families may not be eligible for the relief this announcement brings because they dared to keep their family together, care for loved ones, or financially support themselves and their relatives. The administration must ensure that the implementation of the announcement mirrors its intent. Where it falls short, the administration must take the necessary action to provide relief and work authorization to the more than 500,000 spouses for whom stability and security is long overdue.”
Members of Congress wrote, “we also support our constituents who are in need of the protections this process offers but whose cases are more complex and involve bars to eligibility. We respectfully request a commitment from the Department to continue to work with us and impacted communities to develop subsequent opportunities for these individuals and their families to access protection.”
The letter is also signed by Representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Greg Casar (TX-35), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), James McGovern (MA-02), Robert Menendez (NJ-08), Eleanor Norton (DC Delegate), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), and Nikema Williams (GA-05).
Allyson Batista, U.S. Citizen and AFU Board Member (PA): “We are grateful for President Biden’s decision to validate the love of U.S. citizens and their immigrant spouses like me and my husband of over 20 years. We have three U.S. citizen children. To fully realize the intent of this executive order to protect American families, we respectfully ask the President and Secretary Mayorkas to consider and exercise generous discretion over the challenges many American families experience.”
Everk Sanchez, U.S. Citizen and AFU Member (AZ): “Through his action, President Biden showed real leadership. My family, and the other 32,000 U.S. citizens and their families in Arizona potentially impacted by his action, have been desperate, worried and exhausted. Now, we have a ray of hope. We are grateful, and we urge the president to implement this order swiftly, generously and inclusively so that it reaches and protects the families it is intended to.”
Megan Johnson, U.S. Citizen and AFU Member (WI): “It is far past time to provide relief to mixed status families like mine. With President Biden’s executive order, we believe that many of these families will be able to come out of the shadows and fully live the American Dream. Our hope is that the administration ensures all the families intended to qualify will do so.”
Jason Rochester, U.S. Citizen and AFU Member (GA): “I have been separated from my wife for over five years now. Cecilia lives in Mexico alone, and our nine-year-old son Ashton lives in Georgia with me. Five years ago, Cecilia returned to her home country of Mexico due to poor legal advice. Six months after returning to Mexico, our son, who was only five-years-old at the time, was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Even though we tried everything they could to get Cecilia home legally, our request for Humanitarian Parole was denied, while our son had surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments. I beg President Biden to bring Cecilia home.”
There are over one million U.S. citizens married to undocumented spouses. On June 18, 2024, President Biden announced an executive order for an estimated 500,000 undocumented spouses married to U.S. citizens, who have lived in the United States for 23 years on average, to apply for work permits and legal status to keep American families together.