Thousands of families in Michigan with undocumented spouses benefit from Biden’s new plan

LANSING, MI – Irma Piña lives in fear that her husband, who has lived in the United States for more than 30 years, will one day be deported and sent away from her and their children.

The US citizen, who lives in Detroit, said the only document proving her husband’s legal entry into the US was stolen during a break-in at their home. Her lawyers advised him to return to his home country and apply for a special permit to return.

This process can result in the family remaining separated for years.

“Every time our loved ones leave home, we fear that they will not come back, that they will be arrested and deported, leaving behind broken families,” Piña said.

Immigration advocates say there are about 50,000 families in Michigan with undocumented family members who could face deportation like Piña’s husband, even though he has lived, worked, paid taxes and raised a family in the United States for decades. Piña’s family will benefit from the plan.

Representatives of the American Business Immigration Coalition say many of those families in Michigan will benefit from a new measure announced by President Joe Biden on Tuesday, June 18, that will provide new pathways to lawful permanent residency for some undocumented spouses and children.

The new process is designed to allow undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least 10 years as of Monday and are legally married to a U.S. citizen to stay with their families while they apply for permanent residency and ultimately U.S. citizenship.

The Biden administration says the new measure will protect nearly 500,000 spouses of U.S. citizens, as well as about 50,000 undocumented children under the age of 21 whose parents are married to a U.S. citizen.

Once an application is approved, the undocumented person has three years to apply for permanent residency and qualify for a green card in the meantime. During this time, he or she would be protected from deportation.

James O’Neill, policy director for the American Business Immigration Coalition, said certain criminal convictions could disqualify a person from being eligible.

“This program is good for families, good for the community and it also has the benefit of being good economically because it helps address the labor shortages that are hurting the economy and preventing growth,” O’Neill said.

Six years ago, a Detroit-area family made national headlines after their husband, Jorge Garcia, was deported to Mexico after living in the United States for nearly three decades.

During this time, Garcia, who came to the United States undocumented when he was 10, started a family, worked and paid taxes. He had fought for years to be able to stay with his wife and children.

Ultimately, he lived in Mexico for two years after his deportation until he could legally return. For some, that process of reunification can take much longer, said his wife, Cindy Garcia.

Garcia said Tuesday that Biden’s new measure will prevent other families from experiencing the trauma she and her family still suffer from because of the separation.

“The trauma we experienced then and now will never change,” said Cindy Garcia. “It will never go away because we know that every time we see a truck full of immigrants, it may not be my family, it may be others, and it is unfair that they have to be separated from their loved ones.”

The Biden administration also announced new measures on Tuesday to speed up the work visa process for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients who have a college degree and have received a job offer from a U.S. employer.

Representatives of the American Business Immigration Coalition said it was not immediately clear how many people in Michigan would be affected by the measure.

The Democratic leadership in the Michigan state legislature praised the Biden administration’s new measures on Tuesday.

“Immigrants who have worked hard and been a part of the United States for decades deserve the chance to change their status and stay in their communities,” said Democratic Rep. Laurie Pohutsky of Livonia, who serves as speaker pro tempore.

“They should not have to leave their families behind with no guarantee that they will ever be able to return or wait while their papers are processed. What the Biden administration did this morning is consistent with our values ​​as a country and as a state. It protects the dignity and justice of our families.”