It was only a matter of time before Joe Biden made his move, and now he has. Cloaked in the rhetoric of “keeping families together,” he announced a new set of executive actions that essentially grant amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants currently in the United States.
Since day one, President Biden has supposedly urged Congress to secure our borders and address the broken immigration system, according to a White House statement released on Tuesday. However, this statement blatantly misrepresents the situation and unjustly blames congressional Republicans for not securing the border—a narrative that has consistently failed to convince the American public.
In reality, Biden’s latest actions are designed to bring peace of mind to Americans living in mixed-status families and young people, including Dreamers. The administration’s new policies aim to keep these families together and integrate more young people into the economy. This move is framed as a benefit to the country, promoting family unity and strengthening the economy, but the underlying agenda is clear: to provide a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants without addressing the core issues of border security and legal immigration reform.
According to the White House, the executive actions will allow illegal immigrant spouses and children of American citizens to stay in the country. The administration argues that these actions will “promote family unity and strengthen our economy,” benefiting U.S. citizens and their noncitizen family members. This policy shift is presented as a compassionate measure, but it raises serious concerns about its impact on American workers and the rule of law.
The specifics of the policy state that noncitizens who have resided in the United States for ten or more years and are legally married to a U.S. citizen as of June 17, 2024, will be eligible. The administration claims that these individuals have lived in the country for an average of 23 years. Those approved through DHS’s case-by-case assessment will receive a three-year period to apply for permanent residency and work authorization, effectively giving them a significant advantage over American citizens in the job market.
This week, the announcement was particularly tone-deaf as it coincided with the apprehension of an illegal immigrant from El Salvador for the 2023 rape and murder of Rachel Morin, a mother of five from Maryland. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) criticized the timing and nature of this executive order, calling it a politically motivated sham. “Rolling out this unlawful order for mass amnesty as the country mourns the death of Rachel Morin at the hands of an illegal migrant is a disgrace,” Cotton stated.
The Biden administration’s actions reveal a blatant disregard for the safety and economic well-being of American citizens. Instead of addressing the real issues at our borders, Biden’s policies prioritize illegal immigrants and undermine the rule of law, further exacerbating the problems facing our immigration system.