Court Ruling Ends Brief Hope for Citizenship Pathway for Immigrant Families

A federal judge halted a Biden administration policy on Thursday, blocking what was touted as one of the most significant steps in recent years to aid undocumented immigrant families.  

About the ‘Keeping Families Together’ Initiative

Known as the “Keeping Families Together” initiative, the policy had offered undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens a route to apply for a green card without the often lengthy prerequisite of leaving the United States. According to AP News, its intended beneficiaries — an estimated 500,000 undocumented immigrants — were left in limbo when Texas-based U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker froze the program, just days after applicants began filing their paperwork. 

Judge Barker, appointed by President-elect Donald Trump, ruled that the administration had overstepped its authority, contending that the policy extended beyond the intended scope of existing immigration law, which he said had been “stretched past its breaking point.”  

The short-lived initiative was intended to offer protection and stability for families in which one spouse or stepchild faced potential deportation despite being married to a U.S. citizen.

Applicants under the program could pay a $580 fee and submit a lengthy application demonstrating the humanitarian grounds for parole, which, if granted, would provide a temporary reprieve from deportation. They would then have three years to seek permanent residency and work authorization. The policy applied only to individuals with a decade-long record of continuous residence in the U.S., a clean security history, and prior approval for “parole in place” protections. 

In practice, noncitizen spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens have limited pathways to residency, often involving separation while applications are processed abroad — a procedure that frequently takes years and divides families based on immigration status. The Biden administration’s approach aimed to mitigate these hardships, allowing families to stay together while navigating the pathway to citizenship. Yet, the window for relief closed almost as soon as it opened, casting uncertainty over whether any applications had even been approved before the judge placed the program on hold. 

What’s Next for Citizenship Pathway?

The ruling comes as the U.S. braces for a new chapter in immigration policy, with President-elect Donald Trump having campaigned on promises of mass deportation and intensified crackdowns on undocumented individuals.  

Now, the ruling has left many immigrant families facing an uncertain future.