Washington, DC – Late yesterday, U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker ruled against the "Keeping Families Together" Program implemented by the Biden Administration under the president’s parole authority. Consistent with long-standing Department Homeland Security policies and the law, the program aimed to protect certain spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens, allowing them to remain in the United States while they seek Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status.
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) President Kelli Stump stated, "This ruling is simply wrong on the law. The administration was using its congressionally enacted authority as a sensible solution for hundreds of thousands of American families facing uncertainty and fear due to our broken immigration system. To be clear, these applicants were already eligible for adjustment of status, the only thing the parole did was ensure they wouldn’t be separated while the bureaucratic process was underway. It is shameful that people who are the spouses of U.S. citizens who have lived in the United States for over a decade, or are the stepchildren of a U.S. citizen, are being left in the cold again."
AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson stated, "Unfortunately, this judge proved why his court was cherry-picked for this case: he ignored the lack of standing to bring this suit in the first place, and overlooked decades of bipartisan use of parole authority to promote family unity. It is nonsensical that these states would oppose an effort to strengthen a core American value of protecting families and ensuring a more secure and fairer immigration system. The judge fell for weak, baseless arguments and sadly, the people who will pay the price are American families and children who are prevented from accessing this life-changing protection."
