Judge rejects Biden's plan for undocumented spouses of citizens

A U.S. federal judge has made a significant ruling affecting the futures of undocumented immigrants married to American citizens. The decision strikes down a proposed plan by President Joe Biden's administration aimed at streamlining the process for these immigrants to achieve a path toward citizenship. The plan, envisioned by the Biden administration, sought to alleviate the legal and bureaucratic hurdles that undocumented spouses face when attempting to regularize their status in the United States. However, this ruling has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the lives of countless families, leaving them in a state of legal limbo. At the heart of the plan was an effort to simplify the process by which undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens could apply for and obtain legal status without the need for lengthy separations often necessitated by the current system. Under existing laws, undocumented immigrants are required to leave the U.S. and apply for a waiver from abroad—a process that can take months or even years, during which families are often split apart. This proposed policy change was seen by advocates as a humanitarian effort to keep families together, minimizing the emotional and financial strain caused by prolonged separations. Proponents argued that the initiative would not only benefit the immediate families involved but also serve the broader interests of U.S. society by fostering stable, integrated communities. Critics of the plan, however, raised concerns about its implications for immigration control and the rule of law. Some argued that the policy would act as a magnet, encouraging further illegal immigration by suggesting that entering or