With President Biden moving to provide legal status for some undocumented immigrantssome Democratic lawmakers, White House advisers and advocacy groups have urged him to expand work permits for long-term immigrant caregivers.
He asked the administration to allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a work permit if they have lived in the US for at least 10 years, passed a criminal background check and have US citizens or legal residents who would face serious difficulties if their guardians were deported. If enacted, it could affect thousands of people already living in the US, according to advocacy group The Immigration Hub.
He also wants to see a path to legal status for parents of children who are U.S. citizens and who have disabilities and would face dire consequences if their parents’ caregivers were removed.
Mirtha Arriaga, who is on the board of directors of “American Families United”, one of the groups involved in the effort, is a mother of five children in California who says she constantly worries about the possible deportation of her husband, who is from Mexico. .
Mirtha Arriaga
Three of her five children are diagnosed with autism, are nonverbal and have learning disabilities. Her health needs forced Arriaga to quit her job to care for her at home. Her husband provides the family’s sole income, but she is an undocumented immigrant.
“It’s hard to live with the fear every day that my wife could be taken away,” Arriaga said. “My children can’t take care of themselves. They need us.”
He said he is losing sleep over the possibility of deportation. “It’s a feeling I don’t wish on anyone,” he said.
An informal coalition of supporters, which includes Reps. Nanette Barragan, Joaquin Castro and Barbara Lee, has been calling for help for caregivers for months. And he argued that it could also help boost Mr. Biden’s re-election campaign by helping this critical segment of voters, including Latinos.
“This is a clear signal to Latinos, immigrants and your base voters that you have an affirmative vision on immigration,” said Lorella Praeli, co-president of Community Change and Community Change Action. “You not only go beyond Donald Trump’s policies on the border, but you have an affirmative vision and help clarify who the voters are on the issue of immigration.”
In at least one battleground state where the Latino vote could be decisive, there has been broad interest in extending legal status to undocumented immigrants who have long been citizens. The Nevada Latino Legislative Caucus and the AANHPI Nevada Legislative Caucus sent a letter to Mr. Biden on June 13, emphasizing the critical role immigrants play in Nevada’s communities and economy and highlighting their contributions.
“Without congressional action to pass immigration reform legislation, hundreds of thousands of immigrant families, including Dreamers and essential undocumented workers who have contributed for years to our communities and local economies will continue to live in fear of deportation,” the letter said. mentioned. picked up by CBS News.
According to a poll of battleground states by The Immigration Hub, 74% of voters support administrative action that would allow up to 1.6 million long-term immigrants to stay working and contribute to their families and the nation’s economy.
“Most Americans want people to be able to donate and pay taxes, especially if they’ve lived here for 10 years,” said Kerri Talbot, executive director of the Immigration Hub. “Unfortunately, it’s very difficult for people to get a work permit, but this is really sympathetic to people who have contributed for a long time.”
The ongoing discussion to expand protections to groups of undocumented immigrants is as President Biden announced earlier this week the expansion of legal status for illegal immigrants married US citizens if they live in the country for at least a decade.
Mr. Biden also announced an executive action that would speed up the process undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children – known as “Dreamers” – and other undocumented immigrants to request waivers to make it easier to obtain temporary visas, such as H-1B visas for high-skilled workers.
“What I’ve seen is that Republican-led states are bringing challenges to this kind of action taken by the executive branch, but the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice have full legal authority to expand access to this relief,” said Prayel.
