Republicans in the Senate are taking action to counter the Biden administration's initiative to grant humanitarian parole to illegal immigrants residing in the U.S. who have American spouses. The proposed bill, known as The Visa Integrity Preservation Act, led by Sen. John Cornyn and supported by more than a dozen senators, aims to prevent illegal immigrants who entered the country unlawfully or overstayed their visas from receiving waivers for in-person consular interviews.
The Biden administration introduced the 'parole in place' program in June, allowing certain illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens to apply for humanitarian parole and a pathway to permanent residency without leaving the country for a consulate interview. This initiative, named 'Keeping Families Together,' targets noncitizen spouses who have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years and are deemed non-threatening to public safety or national security.
The administration estimates that around 500,000 illegal immigrants could benefit from this program, excluding new arrivals who must have been in the U.S. for over a decade by June 2024. However, Republicans have strongly opposed the administration's use of parole, including parole in place and other parole-granting methods.
The proposed Republican bill would require all illegal immigrants seeking visas to undergo consular interviews outside the U.S. before visa approval. Sen. Cornyn emphasized that the legislation aims to prevent the administration from granting 'amnesty' to illegal immigrants and maintain the integrity of the visa system.
Republican states, led by Texas, have already taken legal action against the administration's parole programs, resulting in a federal court halting the initiatives indefinitely. The states argue that the parole programs violate federal law by extending parole beyond its intended use for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.
In response to the lawsuit, the White House criticized Republican officials for prioritizing politics over fixing the immigration system and helping American families. The administration vowed to defend the parole programs and continue efforts to secure the border and enforce immigration laws.
