Global Refuge Commends Executive Order Protecting Certain Immigrant Families

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2024
Contact: Jason Lucas | jason.lucas@globalrefuge.org | 240-717-4421

Washington, D.C. – The Biden administration announced today an executive order that will protect certain immigrant spouses and children of U.S. citizens without status currently living in the United States from being removed from the country. The order will protect undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens and have lived in the country for 10 years as of June 17, 2024, from deportation and enable those who qualify to receive work authorization. This executive action will protect approximately half a million spouses of U.S. citizens and 50,000 undocumented children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to a U.S. citizen.
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The White House’s executive action is in line with public opinion on long-residing immigrants without status. Recent polling shows that 81 percent of voters favor creating legal pathways for citizenship for DACA recipients and undocumented immigrants. The polling also notes that a majority of voters support providing work permits to undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for many years.

The following is a statement by Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO of Global Refuge:

“We’re encouraged to see the Biden administration protect a vulnerable group of people who have come to call the U.S. their home. This move will provide a sense of relief to the thousands of mixed immigration status families living in the shadows in this country who qualify. The emotional toll these families have experienced due to the uncertainty about their loved ones’ ability to stay in this country had to be immeasurable.

Today’s executive action, while welcomed, doesn’t erase the asylum proclamation issued earlier this month. While we commend today’s action by President Biden, we continue to call on Congress to act.

Using executive action to make immigration policy is a stop-gap measure that doesn’t fully address the dysfunction in our immigration system. Lawmakers need to move beyond political differences and collaborate to develop more just, orderly, and humane immigration policies.”

About us:

Global Refuge, formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, is a nonprofit serving newcomers seeking safety, support, and a share in the American dream. For 85 years, we have welcomed those seeking refuge, upholding a legacy of compassion and grace for people in crisis. We walk alongside individuals, families, and children as they begin their new lives in the United States through our work in refugee resettlement, welcome and respite services for asylum seekers, economic empowerment and employment, and family unification for unaccompanied children. To date, we have served over 750,000 people from around the globe. At Global Refuge, welcoming newcomers isn’t just our duty—it’s an inherent part of our identity, rooted in our Lutheran heritage and inspired values, and serving as a testament to our unwavering commitment to those in search of refuge.