Texas and a coalition of Republican-led states filed a lawsuit on Friday against President Joe Biden’s administration over a new program that offers a path to citizenship for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally and are now married to U.S. citizens.
The lawsuit claims that the program, which began accepting applications on Monday, exceeds the administration’s authority to provide relief to those without legal status and circumvents the intent of U.S. immigration laws.
The initiative, called Keeping Families Together, provides an estimated 500,000 immigrant spouses who entered the U.S. illegally and have lived there for at least 10 years a path to citizenship. Without this program, many of these individuals would have to leave the U.S. for years before being able to return legally.
Illegal immigration has become a central issue in the upcoming November 5 presidential election, where former President Donald Trump, a Republican, will compete against Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris.
America First Legal, an organization led by Trump adviser Stephen Miller, served as co-counsel in the lawsuit, working alongside Texas and 15 other states with Republican attorneys general. Miller, who was a key figure behind Trump’s restrictive policies during his presidency from 2017 to 2021, called the Biden program “brazenly unlawful” in a statement.
The Keeping Families Together initiative also provides temporary “parole” status to approximately 50,000 children under age 21 who have a U.S.-citizen parent, creating a path to citizenship for them as well.
White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez criticized the Texas lawsuit, stating that it aims to separate families and “goes against our nation’s values.”
Texas has frequently clashed with the Biden administration in court over immigration and border issues. In July, a federal appeals court allowed Texas to maintain a large floating barrier in the Rio Grande River, which is intended to block migrants from illegally crossing from Mexico.
