President Joe Biden (D) announced an executive order this week that would protect undocumented spouses of United States citizens. The executive order was guided by Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar's (D) American Families United Act, which she introduced as a stand-alone bill last year. Rep. Escobar joined President Biden as he announced the executive order, praising it as a "joyous announcement."
Rep. Escobar joined President Biden, administration officials, members of Congress, and key advocates like American Families United President Ashley DeAzevedo at the White House in celebration of the president's executive order. The order grants protections to the undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens and graduates of American universities, which includes Dreamers. Although she introduced the legislation when she was first elected to Congress, she also included it as part of the bipartisan Dignity Act, which is currently celebrating its one-year anniversary.
In a statement, Rep. Escobar shared that "there are hundreds of thousands of American families today who have been forced to live apart or relocate to another country because of draconian provisions in the Immigration and Nationality Act that prevent undocumented spouses of Americans from getting any legal protections whatsoever." With the president's executive order, it "puts us leaps and bounds closer to rectifying that wrong."
“I’m incredibly grateful that President Biden used my legislation, the American Families United Act, as a guide for his executive order," she added, noting that her legislation was "inspired by the story of El Pasoan Edgar Falcon." "Obstruction by congressional Republicans has made passing any kind of immigration legislation impossible, despite the clear economic and humanitarian benefits to doing so."
Rep. Escobar also praised President Biden, calling him as a leader who "has consistently used his executive powers to create additional legal pathways for immigrants."
In a press release, Rep. Escobar's office further cited the Biden Administration as a source of opening up legal pathways to give millions of vulnerable migrants legal, safe, and human avenues for entry into the U.S.
