Biden eases way to US citizenship for half a million undocumented spouses

Joe Biden has announced a move to open a pathway to citizenship for undocumented spouses of US citizens, a sweeping initiative on a key election issue that could provide relief to more than half a million "mixed-status" families, say senior administration officials.

- Lauren Gambino

The move comes as the Democratic president tries to strike a balance before the US election on 5 November confronting rising public concern over the unprecedented levels of migration at the southern border, while appeasing progressive Democrats and Hispanic leaders who were furious about his aggressive asylum crackdown, which they likened to Trump-era asylum policies.

The children of undocumented immigrants married to a US citizen could also potentially qualify under the new process.

Administration officials said the plan reflected the president's commitment to "keep families together", in an effort to draw a clear distinction from Donald Trump whose "zero tolerance" border policies has separated thousands of children from their parents.

Politically, the plan could help insulate Biden from accusations from the left that he has given in to hardright Republican demands on border immigration, while possibly shoring up support in his progressive base.

Biden unveiled his plans at a White House event yesterday marking the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, or Daca, which shields from deportation nearly 530,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children. "These eligible noncitizens who have lived here for 10 years or more have deep family and community ties in the US," an official told reporters. "Many of these families include US citizen children, yet they live in fear and face deep uncertainty about their future."