Judge in Texas orders pause on Biden program that offers legal status to spouses of US citizens

Associated Press

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.