Welcoming America celebrates new policy announcements for immigrant families and Dreamers

Communities thrive when families stay together and neighbors of all backgrounds have a stable future to build toward. The Biden administration’s announcement today of two major policy changes to help keep families together and provide Dreamers new avenues to access employment-based visas is a welcome development.

To protect American families, the administration will use existing authorities to help many long-term undocumented individuals who are married to U.S. citizens secure protections from deportation, gain work authorization, and help them access a pathway to citizenship. The administration is also streamlining processes that would allow individuals including DACA recipients and other Dreamers to access work visas, securing them a legal status in the United States after years of living in limbo.

We celebrate the actions taken today by the Biden administration to create pathways to stability, inclusion, and belonging for immigrant families and communities nationwide. While these policies do not remedy the failures of the current immigration system, they are a step toward making it safer and more orderly.

While we await more details, we know that implementation will require community leadership and we, alongside our Welcoming Network members, stand ready to support and tap into the abundant interest of the American public in supporting inclusive immigration policy.

Read our explainer for a practical overview of the changes and additional resources.