Biden Issues New Policy to Protect Undocumented Spouses from Deportation, Shielding Over 500,000 Individuals

President Biden is set to announce a new policy that would protect hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses of US citizens from deportation and allow them to work legally. To qualify, undocumented spouses must have lived in the US for at least 10 years and been married to a US citizen as of June 17th. Those who qualify will be given a 3-year work permit and will have 3 years to apply for permanent residency. On average, those eligible have lived in the US for 23 years, with the majority born in Mexico. The new policy is estimated to benefit over 500,000 spouses of US citizens and 50,000 young people under 21 with a US citizen parent.