Statement from President Joe Biden on the District Court’s Order on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Action to Keep Families Together

America is not a country that tears families apart.

That is why, in June, my Administration announced new action to keep American families together. These married couples—in which one spouse is a United States citizen and the other has been living in America for 10 years or more—include our neighbors who have been working, raising their families, paying taxes, worshipping with us, and sending their kids to school. They have become our friends, our neighbors, and our co-workers. They’re the parents to our kid’s best friends. They have become invaluable contributors to our communities. They make us a better country. Nothing I did changed the requirements people have to meet to adjust their status under immigration law. All I did was make it possible for these long-time residents to file the paperwork here – together with their families. But without the Keeping Families Together process, spouses of U.S. citizens won’t be able to stay in the U.S. while they obtain the long-term legal status for which they’re already eligible. They’ll be forced to either leave their families in America, or live in the shadows in constant fear of deportation.

Last night, a single district court in Texas ruled that our work to keep families together has to stop. That ruling is wrong. These families should not be needlessly separated. They should be able to stay together, and my Administration will not stop fighting for them.

I am not interested in playing politics with the border or immigration; I am interested in solving problems. Nor am I interested in tearing families apart. That is not who we are as Americans. I will continue to fight to secure our border and fix our broken immigration system.

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