Even as Congress has maintained family unity as a core principle in immigration policy for decades, many undocumented spouses and parents of U.S. citizens who have lived in the U.S. for many years cannot adjust their status to become green card holders due to inadmissibility bars. These limitations of current immigration law force families to remain in varied and vulnerable immigration statuses, living under the real and present threat of separation, and forcing loved ones to live with the constant anxiety that their mom, dad, sister, brother, wife, or husband could be deported at a moment’s notice.

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of households in the U.S. are entirely undocumented, with nearly half (54%) of members of undocumented households having entered the U.S. since 2020. Many of these household members currently maintain limited immigration protections, including TPS or waiting for a decision on an asylum claim.

Fixing our failed immigration system is personal for millions of Americans living in mixed-status families. As the number of deportations grow, millions of U.S. citizens are living daily with uncertainty over whether their loved ones will be deported and separated from their families. It is well past time for Congress to deliver relief to American families.