Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Let there be snark.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

I really should read my own blog.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

President Biden is doing good where he can, and getting it done.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

He imagines himself as The Big Bad, Who Is Universally Feared… instead of The Big Jagoff, Who Is Universally Mocked.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

You cannot shame the shameless.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Good Immigration News Open Thread: Biden’s Latest Executive Order

Good Immigration News Open Thread: Biden’s Latest Executive Order

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… The president announced that his administration will, in the coming months, allow certain U.S. citizens’ spouses without legal status to apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship without having to first depart the country. The action by Biden, a Democrat, could affect upwards of half a million immigrants, according to senior administration officials.

“The Statue of Liberty is not some relic of American history. It still stands for who we are,” Biden said from a crowded East Room at the White House, filled with advocates, congressional Democrats and immigrants who would be eligible for the program. “But I also refuse to believe that for us to continue to be America that embraces immigration, we have to give up securing our border. They’re false choices.”

Biden’s action, which amounts to the most expansive federal protection for immigrants in over a decade, sets up a significant political contrast with presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, whose hardline stance on immigration includes a push for mass deportations and rhetoric casting migrants as dangerous criminals “poisoning the blood” of America…

Because the shadow of a second Trump administration looms over Biden’s new policy, Tuesday’s actions will set off a months-long sprint by Latino organizations to get as many people to apply for the program as possible before next January.

To qualify for Biden’s actions, an immigrant must have lived in the United States for 10 years and be married to a U.S. citizen, both as of Monday. If a qualifying immigrant’s application is approved, he or she would have three years to apply for a green card and receive a temporary work permit and be shielded from deportation in the meantime.

About 50,000 noncitizen children with parents who are married to U.S. citizen could also potentially qualify for the process, according to senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity. There is no requirement on how long the couple must have been married, but no one becomes eligible after Monday. That means immigrants who reach that 10-year mark after Monday will not qualify for the program, according to the officials…

Senior administration officials said they anticipate the process will be open for applications by the end of the summer. Fees to apply have yet to be determined…

Biden also announced new regulations that will allow certain DACA beneficiaries and other young immigrants to more easily qualify for long-established work visas. That would allow qualifying immigrants to have protection that is sturdier than the work permits offered by DACA, which is currently facing legal challenges and is no longer taking new applications.

The power that Biden is invoking with his Tuesday announcement for spouses is not a novel one. The policy would expand on authority used by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to allow “parole in place” for family members of military members, said Andrea Flores, a former policy adviser in the Obama and Biden administrations who is now a vice president at FWD.us, an immigration advocacy organization…

Of course Trump, and a wide swath of the ‘respectable’ Republican party, are screaming like scalded weasels… but I’m leaving their complaints for a later, separate post.

… Immigration advocates were generally thrilled with the scope of Tuesday’s announcement, just as Biden’s critics called it a horribly misguided giveaway.

Angelica Martinez, 36, wiped away tears as she sat next to her children, ages 14 and 6, and watched Biden’s announcement at the Houston office of FIEL, an immigrant advocacy group. A U.S. citizen since 2013, she described a flood of emotions, including regret that her husband couldn’t travel to Mexico when his mother died five years ago…

Brenda Valle of Los Angeles, whose husband has been a U.S. citizen since 2001 and, like her, was born in Mexico, renews her DACA permit every two years. “We can start planning more long-term, for the future, instead of what we can do for the next two years,” she said.

Magdalena Gutiérrez of Chicago, who has been married to a U.S. citizen for 22 years and has three daughters who are U.S. citizens, said she had “a little more hope” after Biden’s announcement. Gutiérrez, 43, is eager to travel more across the United States without fearing an encounter with law enforcement that could lead to her being deported.

Allyson Batista, a retired Philadelphia teacher and U.S. citizen, who married her Brazilian husband 20 years ago, recalled being told by lawyer that he could leave the country for 10 years or “remain in the shadows and wait for a change in the law.”

“Initially, when we got married, I was naive and thought, ‘OK, but I’m American. This isn’t going to be a problem. We’re going to fix this,’” Batista said. “I learned very early on that we were facing a pretty dire circumstance and that there would be no way for us to move forward in an immigration process successfully.”

The couple raised three children who are pursuing higher education. Batista is waiting for the details of how her husband can apply for a green card.

“I’m hopeful,” Batista said. “The next 60 days will really tell. But, obviously more than thrilled because every step forward is a step towards a final resolution for all kinds of immigrant families.” …

Reader Interactions

53Comments

  1. 1.

    Belafon

    The last four years have really put into focus why presidents do so much of this stuff in the election year. If he had done this any sooner people would have completely forgotten it (sometimes on purpose).

  2. 2.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    Waiting for the expected, coordinated, right-wing talking point “This is entirely political, look at the timing, he’s doing it just before the election!” to get spewed out and then picked up by Our Corporate Media and regurgitated as gospel in 3…2…1…

  4. 4.

    BR

    It’s still blowing my mind how much this story has been buried. It’s not at all on the NYT front page, buried on WaPo and LAT.

  5. 5.

    Baud

    DACA was never perfect,

    Not false, but the need to frame things from a defensive crouch position is irritating.

  7. 7.

    p.a.

    I think it’s- little by little- FINALLY beginning to sink into normies’ brains that conservaturds will howl like stuck pigs even if Dems come out in favor of mild weather and timely rain.

  8. 8.

    Baud

    I was curious about the New Democratic Coalition.

    Founded in 1997, the center-left New Democrat Coalition is made up of 100 pragmatic House Democrats who work across the aisle and across the Capitol to advance innovative, inclusive, and forward-looking policies. Representing almost half the Democratic Caucus, New Dems are united behind a mission to build an economy that works for every American.

    New Dems work to bridge the partisan divide with a solutions-oriented approach to politics. The Coalition’s primary goal is to find workable solutions to the most pressing issues facing our nation—from ensuring every American has access to quality health care to increasing affordable housing in every community. New Dems have shown time and again how lawmakers can make real progress in Congress. And real progress is what’s truly progressive. That’s why New Dems are the ‘Can Do Caucus.’

    Not really my cup of tea, but I’m also finding myself increasingly homeless politically..

  9. 9.

    Belafon

    @Baud: I’m all for working with others to find solutions, but the Republican party is the party of anthrax and tire rims, and don’t want to find solutions except to the problem of how they can acquire more power.

  10. 10.

    smith

    @Baud: I’m thinking how old-fashioned that statement seems. It’s like hearing the ghosts of Good Democrats from yesteryear.

  11. 11.

    Anonymous At Work

    Good test for closet MAGAts: Mention George W Bush actions as President on immigration or anything but Iraq/Afghanistan/9-11.  If they say “Who?” or profess complete ignorance plus indifference, then you know.

  12. 12.

    Ohio Mom

    @BR: I saw it somewhere in the NYT, I guess it was yesterday. Lots of comments from people with family members who are currently hung up in immigration red tape. They are pissed off that their loved ones, “doing it legally” are not getting the help these “illegals” are.

    Very predictable of course. And annoying.

  13. 13.

    Baud

    @Belafon:

    Agreed.  But there’s the rhetoric and then there’s what you actually give up to achieve the goals set out in your rhetoric.  I’m not sure what NDC has actually done. Frankly, if I’ve heard of that caucus before, I’ve completely forgotten about them.

    Strangely, their website is a bit more active than the progressive caucus website.

  14. 14.

    Baud

    @Ohio Mom:

    The crab bucket is the fascist’s best tool.

    ETA: Reminds me of how people aren’t giving Biden credit for his efforts on student loan forgiveness.

  15. 15.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Belafon:

    I’m all for working with others to find solutions, but the Republican party is the party of anthrax and tire rims…

    Exactly.  I wonder where these clowns come down on your garden variety of neoliberal policies like oh, charter schools.

    “Real Progress” = “Truly Progressive”

    Typical bullshitty word salad from people who probably worship at the altar of Larry Summers.

  18. 18.

    sdhays

    @Baud: I don’t know about this caucus, but I try to reserve judgement since things like the CHIPS bill couldn’t happen if Democrats just decided Republicans weren’t worth talking to.

    I don’t think I could do it because Republicans are vile creatures nowadays, so it would be hard for me to get past that, but that’s one of the (many) reasons I’m not in politics.

  19. 19.

    smith

    @Ohio Mom: We’ve heard from people here how bad that red tape can be. It seems to me that there is a real opportunity for the Biden administration to clean up that mess and take credit for it. I hope they do.

  20. 20.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    My family on both sides came here as war refugees (from the revolutions in Mexico and Russia). The family has always been a little murky before arrival in the US, but I’m pretty sure the Mexican side came here illegally. Which means my Mom was an anchor baby. And I’ll likely be rounded up and deported if That Asshole wins.

    After all, that illegal entry was only 100 years ago.

  21. 21.

    Geminid

    @Baud: I think that as a practical matter, the difference between most New Democrat Coalition members and most Progressive Caucus members is a matter of branding and not policy. This might be explained by the different districts they represent. Progressive Caucus members tend to represent deep blue districts, while most Democratics representing light-blue and purple districts are members of the New Democrats.

    The last serious policy fight between the caucuses was in July of 2019, over emergency border funding. That got very rancorous before Progressive Co-Chair Pramila Jayapal made peace talk with Speaker Pelosi. I thought the entire Democratic caucus came out of the experience stronger than before, and that may have contributed to the success Pelosi had in the next Congress, when she pushed through four major spending bills with only a 5 member Majority.

    One of the four bills was the Infrastructure bill. That created a smaller kerfluffle in the Fall of 2021, when the White House and Congressional leaders decided to decouple it from the Build Back Better bill. A number of Progressive Caucus members revolted and said they couldn’t back the Infrastructure bill under those circumstances. That time, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty talked all but 6 of them down. It probably helped that Beatty was not a member of either ideological caucus.

  22. 22.

    Another Scott

    Mary Louise Kelly talked with Tom Perez about this yesterday. She was seemingly disappointed that he kept to his talking points while she kept wanting him to give her some sound bite about “why this was happening now”. He made lots of excellent points even though she was seemingly determined to ignore them and determined to keep to her script. :-/

    WhiteHouse.gov Fact Sheet summary of the Biden administration actions:

    JUNE 18, 2024

    FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces New Actions to Keep Families Together

    Since his first day in office, President Biden has called on Congress to secure our border and address our broken immigration system. As Congressional Republicans have continued to put partisan politics ahead of national security – twice voting against the toughest and fairest set of reforms in decades – the President and his Administration have taken actions to secure the border, including:

    * Implementing executive actions to bar migrants who cross our Southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum when encounters are high;
    * Deploying record numbers of law enforcement personnel, infrastructure, and technology to the Southern border;
    * Seizing record amounts of fentanyl at our ports of entry;
    * Revoking the visas of CEOs and government officials outside the U.S. who profit from migrants coming to the U.S. unlawfully; and
    * Expanding efforts to dismantle human smuggling networks and prosecuting individuals who violate immigration laws.

    President Biden believes that securing the border is essential. He also believes in expanding lawful pathways and keeping families together, and that immigrants who have been in the United States for decades, paying taxes and contributing to their communities, are part of the social fabric of our country. The Day One immigration reform plan that the President sent to Congress reflects both the need for a secure border and protections for the long-term undocumented. While Congress has failed to act on these reforms, the Biden-Harris Administration has worked to strengthen our lawful immigration system. In addition to vigorously defending the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood arrivals) policy, the Administration has extended Affordable Care Act coverage to DACA recipients and streamlined, expanded, and instituted new reunification programs so that families can stay together while they complete the immigration process.

    Still, there is more that we can do to bring peace of mind and stability to Americans living in mixed-status families as well as young people educated in this country, including Dreamers. That is why today, President Biden announced new actions for people who have been here many years to keep American families together and allow more young people to contribute to our economy.

    Keeping American Families Together

    * Today, President Biden is announcing that the Department of Homeland Security will take action to ensure that U.S. citizens with noncitizen spouses and children can keep their families together.

    * This new process will help certain noncitizen spouses and children apply for lawful permanent residence – status that they are already eligible for – without leaving the country.

    * These actions will promote family unity and strengthen our economy, providing a significant benefit to the country and helping U.S. citizens and their noncitizen family members stay together.

    * In order to be eligible, noncitizens must – as of June 17, 2024 – have resided in the United States for 10 or more years and be legally married to a U.S. citizen, while satisfying all applicable legal requirements. On average, those who are eligible for this process have resided in the U.S. for 23 years.

    * Those who are approved after DHS’s case-by-case assessment of their application will be afforded a three-year period to apply for permanent residency. They will be allowed to remain with their families in the United States and be eligible for work authorization for up to three years. This will apply to all married couples who are eligible.

    * This action will protect approximately half a million spouses of U.S. citizens, and approximately 50,000 noncitizen children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to a U.S. citizen.

    Easing the Visa Process for U.S. College Graduates, Including Dreamers

    * President Obama and then-Vice President Biden established the DACA policy to allow young people who were brought here as children to come out of the shadows and contribute to our country in significant ways. Twelve years later, DACA recipients who started as high school and college students are now building successful careers and establishing families of their own.

    * Today’s announcement will allow individuals, including DACA recipients and other Dreamers, who have earned a degree at an accredited U.S. institution of higher education in the United States, and who have received an offer of employment from a U.S. employer in a field related to their degree, to more quickly receive work visas.

    * Recognizing that it is in our national interest to ensure that individuals who are educated in the U.S. are able to use their skills and education to benefit our country, the Administration is taking action to facilitate the employment visa process for those who have graduated from college and have a high-skilled job offer, including DACA recipients and other Dreamers.

    ###

    Good, good.

    More, please.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  24. 24.

    Another Scott

    @Anonymous At Work: Tom Perez hammered this point on ATC yesterday (see link above):

    PEREZ: Well, we live in a world where some people like to create false choices. We either secure the border, or we help people. If we help people who’ve been here 23 years, somehow that’s going to be a magnet – I just don’t buy that. And we have to remove these false choices. The president firmly believes in balance. We need to control our border, and we’ve done that through the executive actions. And we need to provide pathways to opportunity. You know, Ronald Reagan once said that, you know, we lead the world because unique among our nations, we draw our people and our strength from every country and corner of the world. And by doing so, we continually renew and enrich our nation. And if we ever close the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.

    I would advise Mike Johnson and other Republicans who have Ronald Reagan’s bust in their office to read what Ronald Reagan – and by the way, George W. Bush in compassionate conservatism, and George Herbert Walker Bush and Abe Lincoln, for that matter – have done. This – there’s widespread consensus. And it’s time to…

    KELLY: OK.

    PEREZ: …Put country over party.

    He’s good.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  25. 25.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Baud:

    I’m not sure what NDC has actually done. Frankly, if I’ve heard of that caucus before, I’ve completely forgotten about them.

    I remember them from 20-25 years ago, back when nobody would call themselves a liberal anymore, and our politics was full of centrist Dems who seemed to spend way more time criticizing anyone to their left than criticizing what Republicans were doing.

    But I’d forgotten they were still around.

  26. 26.

    sdhays

    @Baud: ETA: Reminds me of how people aren’t giving Biden credit for his efforts on student loan forgiveness.

    Well, now Trump is saying he’s going to reinstate their loans if he’s elected. Maybe that will get some play (although probably not because “he can’t, experts say”).

  29. 29.

    Baud

    @sdhays:

    I’m done holding my breath waiting for people to take the Republican threat seriously. Like I said above, criticizing Dems is the same default for many people.

  31. 31.

    Central Planning

    @Watergirl (if you’re reading this) fywp is broken on the main page again. I realize it’s a problem with too many images/links or something like that, so this is really just an fyi

  32. 32.

    Dangerman

    @sdhays: Is that even possible? Dickhead can’t reinstate forgiven loans any more than his convictions can be wiped by Congressional action. What’s done is done.

    Right?

    what a pompous piece of shit. Please, flush him.

  34. 34.

    stinger

    @Baud:

    Why does CBS bold “immigrants”?

    I believe the bolding is the search engine highlighting Anne Laurie’s  search term; nothing to do with CBS’ original article.

  36. 36.

    Geminid

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: Sharice Davids, Colin Allred, Chrissy Houlahan and Lucy McBath are not “clowns ” as you described New Democrat Coalition members as a group. Neither are Terry Sewell, Pete Aguilar, Jared Moscowitz, Ellisa Slotkin, Adam Schiff and Raj Krishnamoorthi, not to mention Jason Crow, Brittanny Petterson and Yadiel Caravajo of Colorado, and Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico, and Jeff Jackson of North Carolina and Jennifer McClellan of Virginia.

    I’ll stop there, but there are plenty more capable legislators in that caucus and they are every bit as good Democrats as you your favorite Representatives. Some of those may be in the New Democrat Caucus but you don’t know it.

  38. 38.

    stinger

    @Baud: They’re already Democrats, already members of Congress. I don’t see the need for yet another subdivision. Maybe there’s a practical or political advantage, but I’d need to have it explained to me.

  39. 39.

    Baud

    @stinger:

    There have always been caucuses within both parties. Like the Freedom Caucus in the GOP.

    On our side, I’m not exactly sure what ideological caucuses like the Progressive Caucus or the NDC actually do, other than essentially marketing for their members.

    ETA: I think most caucuses are issue caucuses.

  40. 40.

    sdhays

    @Dangerman: With Project 2025 and the current Supremacist Court, I think it’s foolish to believe anything is “impossible”. As Baud alluded to, people should just take these people at their word and stop assuming that X will stop them (for any value of X other than voting to keep the fuckers out of power).

  41. 41.

    stinger

    @Baud: Thanks. I see Geminid explained some of it, too. I just feel like members of Congress should be busy enough without spending time on specialty caucuses. But I’ve never done the job, so what do I know?​
     
    ETA: Issue caucuses, now that I can understand.

  43. 43.

    Soprano2

    @sdhays: TCFG doesn’t seem to know that Biden used existing law to forgive student loans, so no he can’t “undo” it.

  45. 45.

    rikyrah

     

    😒😒😒

     

    Sons of Killmonger & Disciple of Dark Brandon (@2Strong2Silence) posted at 7:50 AM on Wed, Jun 19, 2024:
    #Juneteenth “Juneteenth is a divisive day that doesn’t showcase how far we’ve come since those days.” These are words spoken by a party that wants to reinstate confederate statues, still flies that flag & wants to keep black voters from voting.
    (https://x.com/2Strong2Silence/status/1803409980600566117?t=oD6LHkQbgTyHTdJpmt_5Hw&s=03)

  48. 48.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @Baud:

    What do they mean by “new”? The overwhelming majority of Democrats in my lifetime have always been willing to work with Republicans. Sometimes too much so, in my view from the left of things, but that’s they way it works.

  49. 49.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @Baud:

    Whenever I see a group announce themselves as the [Whatever] Democrats, I take it that they are trying to tell their voters they are not like those other crazy or icky Democrats that you might see on the news.

    I might be a overreacting a bit, I admit. I dislike division within the party. We don’t need a “we can do” caucus when the entire Democratic Party is “we can do” and “we have done.”

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