Washington, D.C. — Today, the Biden Administration announced a program that will protect families with one undocumented parent from separation. Additionally, the Administration outlined changes in policies that will ensure graduates of U.S. higher education institutions are able to access a work visa under certain conditions. 

The new executive order will allow undocumented parents to remain in the U.S. as they go through the immigration process to be petitioned by their U.S. citizen spouse if they meet all other requirements. This will mean that approximately half a million families can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they will not be separated by our immigration system. This order also allows DACA recipients and other graduates of a U.S. higher education institution to more easily access a work visa. Applications are not open: implementation and more details will be announced over the coming weeks.

Alaide Vilchis Ibarra, Campaign Director at Value Our Families, stated: “President Biden’s executive action means that more families will go to sleep tonight knowing that they will not be separated. Thousands of immigrants, including DACA recipients, will be able to continue to build their life in the U.S. knowing it will not all be taken away suddenly. As Value our Families, we believe all families should be together and safe. We urge the President to continue to use his power to keep families together and address the backlog of over 4 million people awaiting visas to be reunited with their families. This will be another step in removing the barriers that keep families apart.”

This announcement comes on the heels of President Biden using his executive powers to restrict people from seeking asylum in the U.S. With this new executive action, we are hearted to see this Administration prioritizing policies that remove barriers to family unity. We urge him to continue to use his power to drive policies that champion immigrant families. 

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Value Our Families exists to protect, preserve, and strengthen family immigration. We are a network of community-based and advocacy organizations promoting an immigration system informed by love, empathy, and justice, and rejecting policies that harm immigrant families. We build public support for an immigration system that protects family unity and contributes to this country’s social and economic fabric.