President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled a plan to make it easier for up to half a million immigrants without legal status in the U.S. to become citizens, just two weeks after he announced a policy to restrict asylum that essentially shuts down the border when illegal encounters reach a particular number.

The new move, which could be seen as a counter to the asylum crackdown that drew criticism from some in his own party, comes as polls show immigration and the border high on voters’ list of key issues heading into the November election. 

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled a plan to make it easier for up to half a million spouses of American citizens who do not have legal status and have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years  to become citizens 
  • The move comes just two weeks after he announced a policy to restrict asylum that essentially shuts down the border when illegal encounters reach a threshold
  • Tuesday’s election-year move, which could be seen as a counter to the asylum crackdown that drew criticism from some in his own party, comes as polls show immigration and the border high on voters’ list of key issues going into November 

“I’m not interested in playing politics with border or immigration,” Biden declared while announcing his new plan at an event at the White House on Tuesday. “I’m interested in fixing it.” 

The actions will enable spouses of American citizens who have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years to apply for permanent residency, allowing them to obtain a work permit and protecting them from deportation. The new actions will clear hurdles to ultimately allowing them to apply for citizenship without leaving the country. Currently, most of the spouses of U.S. citizens who entered the country illegally and wanted to obtain legal status must leave the country during the process.

Biden’s new action will also apply to some people under 21 years old without legal status who have parents who are married to U.S. citizens. Those who are eligible will be able to apply later this summer, Biden said. 

“These couples have been raising families, sending their kids to church and school, paying taxes, contributing to our country for 10 years or more,” Biden said on Tuesday, adding that such families have been “living in the United States all this time with fear and uncertainty.”

“We can fix that,” Biden said. “And that’s what I am going to do today.”

The president made the announcement on Tuesday in the White House East Room flanked on stage by lawmakers, including members of Congress and mayors, in front of a lively audience. The event was also meant to mark the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which was put into place by former President Barack Obama when Biden was vice president and offered protection to people who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation. 

As part of the announcement, the administration is also seeking to smoothen the path for certain DACA recipients to qualify for stable and long-term work visas. 

Biden also used his remarks on Tuesday to seek to draw a sharp contrast between his approach to immigration and that of his 2024 rival, former President Donald Trump. The incumbent president pointed to Trump’s policy separating families at the border and referring to immigrants as “poisoning the blood” of the country. 

“It’s hard to believe it's being said, but he’s actually saying these things out loud,” Biden said. 

Biden also once again berated Republicans for killing a border bill negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators over months. Opposition to the bill from the GOP appeared to solidify after Trump came out against it. 

The spokesperson for Trump’s campaign, Karoline Leavitt, in a statement criticized Biden in response to Tuesday’s announcement, saying the president is giving “mass amnesty” to people he knows will vote for Democrats. She also said Biden only cares about power. 

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in a post on X, formerly Twitter, argued Biden’s new plan will “only incentivize more illegal immigration and endanger Americans.”

“Just two weeks ago, the President pretended to crack down on the open-border catastrophe by engaging an election-year border charade,” Johnson wrote. “Now he’s trying to play both sides and is granting amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens. ”

Earlier this month, Biden took to the same room in the White House – this time without an audience – to announce executive action to bar migrants who cross the border illegally from seeking asylum when the number of daily illegal crossings tops 2,500, in a move that angered certain Democrats. 

Several of those members attended Tuesday’s event, including the chair of the House Progressive Caucus, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who told reporters the new immigration announcement was “transformative.” 

Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Rep. Nanette Barragán, D-Calif., told reporters her caucus has been “advocating for this” for many months.

Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., who supported Biden’s asylum action and won the seat previously held by former Rep. George Santos in part, pundits say, due to his focus on tougher border policies, said the move was part of Biden’s “balanced” approach to the issue. 

“What the president has done with these past two executive orders is demonstrates a balanced approach that is both tough and humane,” he told reporters after Tuesday’s event. 

Suozzi noted that Congress still needs to pass bipartisan legislation so it would be much more difficult for a new president to undo Biden’s recent actions.