For Immediate Release: June 18, 2024
Contact: Virginia Lucy, media@napawf.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Biden announced two immigration actions designed to provide relief for long-term undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens, as well as DREAMers seeking work status. 

This process will allow eligible spouses and children of U.S. citizens, who have lived in the U.S. for 10 or more years, to remain together with their families, to apply for permanent residence (a “green card”) without leaving the U.S., legally work, and receive protection from deportation while they wait. Currently, these individuals must leave the country and apply for an immigrant visa at a U.S. consulate in their home country, with no assurances that they will be allowed to reenter. The process takes four to five years to complete, and undocumented individuals who decide to remain in the U.S. are at risk of deportation and cannot work lawfully during this time. In addition, DREAMers who have earned a degree from a U.S. college or university and have an offer of employment from a U.S. employer will be able to more quickly secure a work visa.

Many Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) families and communities stand to benefit from these measures, where 1.7 million AAPIs are undocumented, comprising almost 1 in 5 undocumented individuals living in the U.S.  

Sung Yeon Choimorrow, NAPAWF’s Executive Director, released the following statement:

“NAPAWF applauds the Biden administration for today’s immigration relief announcements. These necessary steps ensure that our community members can gain legal status, access essential health benefits, and lead more complete lives. Undocumented spouses and DACA-mented youth, have for too long lived in the shadows and borne the brunt of our broken immigration system. 

“While these announcements are a step in the right direction, this is only the beginning. The majority of Americans support pathways to citizenship. There is still much more that needs to be done to guarantee that everyone, regardless of their immigration status, can live full and healthy lives in America. Our organization will continue to advocate for justice for all members of our community.”

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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only organization dedicated to uplifting and building power with AANHPI women and girls in the US. Employing a reproductive justice framework to guide our work, we use organizing, advocacy, and communications strategies to assert full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.