Judge In Texas Orders Pause On Biden Program That Offers Legal Status To Spouses Of US Citizens

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge in Texas has issued a temporary pause on the Biden administration’s new protections that would allow immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens a path to citizenship.

The order Monday by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker comes after 16 states, led by Republican attorneys general, challenged the program in a lawsuit filed last week.

President Joe Biden launched the program in June and the application process has been open for a week.

The policy offers spouses of U.S. citizens without legal status, who meet certain criteria, a path to citizenship by applying for a green card and staying in the U.S. while undergoing the process.