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President Biden on Tuesday granted far-reaching new protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have been living in the United States illegally for years but are married to American citizens.

Under the new policy, some 500,000 undocumented spouses will be shielded from deportation and given a pathway to citizenship and the ability to work legally in the United States. It is one of the most expansive actions to protect immigrants since Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, was enacted 12 years ago to protect those who came to the United States as children.

These couples have been raising families, sending their kids to church and school, paying taxes, contributing to our country, Mr. Biden said at the White House, where he was joined by members of Congress and DACA recipients, known as Dreamers. Theyre living in the United States all this time with fear and uncertainty. We can fix that.

Mr. Biden also said he would make it easier for young immigrants, including Dreamers, to gain access to work visas, a significant move that could help them eventually get a green card. That would protect their legal status even if DACA, which is already tied up in litigation, disappears.

Were a much better and stronger nation because of Dreamers, Mr. Biden said, as he marked the anniversary of the Obama-era DACA program.

The new policy allows Mr. Biden to balance his recent crackdown on asylum with a sweeping pro-immigrant measure at a moment of political peril. With five months until the presidential election, Mr. Biden has been trying to curtail record numbers of illegal border crossings without alienating longtime supporters who have called for a more humane immigration system after the Trump years.

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Here is the original post:
Biden Gives Legal Protections to Undocumented Spouses of U.S. Citizens - The New York Times