Judge Pauses Federal Program Offering Legal Status to Spouses of US Citizens

The federal government’s parole process has been put on hold for at least two weeks while a legal challenge plays out.

A woman sits with her son at the Catholic Charities Humanitarian Respite Center after recently crossing the U.S.–Mexico border in McAllen, Texas, on June 21, 2018. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A Texas federal judge has temporarily paused the Biden administration’s Keeping Families Together parole process, which would allow illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens a path to citizenship, while a legal challenge plays out.

Under the Department of Homeland Security policy, which has already started taking applications, spouses of U.S. citizens without legal status can apply for permission to stay in the country, known as “parole in place.” If granted, they can then apply for a green card and move toward full citizenship if certain requirements are met.