DHS says that requiring spouses to leave the country to apply for citizenship is disruptive.
President Biden’s administration announced the launch of the Keeping Families Together program on Monday. After announcing the program in June. The program offers U.S. citizenship to immigrants who have been married to U.S. citizens for more than 10 years. The administration estimates that around 500,000 adult immigrants are eligible for this program, along with 50,000 stepchildren of such marriages.
The Department of Homeland Security stated, “Without this process, hundreds of thousands of noncitizen spouses of U.S. citizens are likely to instead remain in the United States without lawful status, causing these families to live in fear and with uncertainty about their futures.”
DHS officials stated that requiring spouses to leave the United States “is disruptive to the family’s economic and emotional wellbeing.” The department said that spouses who voluntarily returned to their countries of origin for processing “may be eligible for continued processing abroad.”
Immigration, citizenship, and border security are key issues in the upcoming elections.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the president, vice president, and members of the administration as they pursue their immigration goals.
- For Secretary Mayorkas and DHS officials as they implement the citizenship program for long-term spouses.
Sources: Reuters, AP News
