Innovation Law Lab’s Statement on the Court’s Decision to End the ‘Keeping Families Together’ Program

A federal judge has officially struck down the Keeping Families Together program—also known as parole in place—a program announced earlier this year by President Biden, that would have protected undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation and allowed them to work while seeking a path to citizenship.

Spouses of U.S. citizens are generally eligible for an immigrant visa as an “immediate relative” of a citizen. However, many undocumented individuals are deprived of this pathway, instead being required to leave the U.S. for ten years before being able to secure legal status alongside their U.S.-citizen family members. The Keeping Families Together program aimed to change this situation, allowing up to 550,000 mixed-status families to move forward with legal status applications without undergoing family separation. The program was put on hold by a lawsuit brought by red-state governments shortly after it was announced, and now, without ever being given the chance to help, it has been unjustly terminated. This decision takes away hope from our immigrant communities who would have greatly benefited from this critical protection.

“We are devastated by this ruling,” said Tess Hellgren, Director of Legal Advocacy at Innovation Law Lab. “This program could have made a world of difference for so many American families with mixed legal status. It offered a lifeline—finally, partners and parents seeking legal status had a way to do so without facing years of family separation. This program was an opportunity for community members to work legally, stay together, and build a secure future. Instead, this decision takes that hope away, forcing hundreds of thousands of families back into fear and uncertainty.”

Innovation Law Lab stands firmly with our immigrant communities and is committed to fighting for immigrant justice. We will continue advocating for policies that ensure all of us can live with dignity, security, and opportunity in the place we call home. We will not stop until every family in our communities has the freedom to thrive, not just survive.

We call on our allies to stand with us against these cruel attacks. Together, we can build a future where all immigrant families are embraced and protected, not punished and torn apart. 

Media Contact: Victor Romero Hernandez | 505.209.5812 | victor@innovationlawlab.org