A federal judge has struck down a Biden administration program designed to provide a pathway to legal status and U.S. citizenship for unauthorized immigrants married to American citizens, declaring it illegal.
U.S. District Court Judge J. Campbell Barker, a Trump appointee, ruled that the program, known as Keeping Families Together, violates U.S. immigration law. This decision comes after Texas and over a dozen other Republican-led states filed a lawsuit challenging the policy.
The ruling represents a significant setback for the Biden administration, which had argued that the program supported family unity within mixed-status households. When announced earlier this year, officials estimated that around 500,000 undocumented immigrants could benefit from the program.
The Justice Department can appeal the ruling, but the incoming Trump administration has already pledged to dismantle Biden’s immigration policies. Trump has also promised to increase border security and conduct the largest mass deportation in U.S. history.
Introduced by Biden in June, the Keeping Families Together initiative would grant work permits and deportation protections to undocumented immigrants who have been married to U.S. citizens and have lived in the country for over 10 years without serious criminal records. It would also allow these immigrants to apply for permanent residency (green card status) and, after three years, apply for citizenship if married to U.S. citizens.
