A federal judge halts the Biden administration's plan to grant legal status to undocumented spouses of American citizens.

A federal judge has temporarily halted the Biden administration's efforts to provide a citizenship pathway to some illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens, following a lawsuit filed by 16 Republican-led states.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker halted the "parole in place" program, which was introduced in June and granted humanitarian parole and a path to permanent residency to certain illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens without requiring them to leave the country.

A group of 16 states, including Texas and America First Legal, contended in a filing reported by Planet Chronicle Digital that the rule goes against federal law, which forbids illegal immigrants from obtaining immigration benefits, including permanent status, unless they first depart the country and re-enter.

16 states have sued the Biden administration over its push for parole for illegal immigrants with US spouses.

They claimed that the use of parole in this case was unlawful because it exceeded the scope of its intended use, which is only for "urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that Biden's unconstitutional plan would have granted citizenship to over 1 million illegal aliens who broke our country's laws, and encouraged many more to do the same.

"We will continue to fight for Texas, our country, and the rule of law. It's great to collaborate with America First Legal, Stephen Miller, and our partner states," he stated.

The Biden-Harris executive order granting over 1 million illegal aliens a path to U.S. citizenship has been frozen. America First Legal is proud to have partnered with Attorney General Paxton, Attorney General Labrador, and 14 other states in the fight against this unconstitutional mass amnesty. Stephen Miller, president of AFL, made the statement.

Approximately 500,000 immigrants and 50,000 children would be helped by the administration's estimation.

The new process would have enabled noncitizen spouses who have resided in the U.S. for a decade as of June and are deemed not to pose a threat to public safety or national security to apply for permanent residency. The proposal contended that families experience anxiety and uncertainty about their future because they must depart and undergo processing abroad.

The fact sheet stated that individuals must not have a criminal history that poses a threat to national security or public safety and should be deemed worthy of discretion.

The duration of the stay is two weeks, but it can be prolonged. Barker is a judge who was appointed by former President Donald Trump.

He stated in the order that the claims are significant and require more attention than the court has been able to give them so far.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment, but had responded to the lawsuit with a statement defending the policy in court.

A DHS spokesperson stated that the department is dedicated to maintaining family unity, which is supported by legal authority and aligns with American values. The purpose is to ensure that U.S. citizens can live without fear of separation. DHS will defend this policy in court and continue to process existing and new applications.

The White House accused Republican officials of being more focused on politics than helping American families or fixing our broken immigration system.

"The lawsuit seeks to force U.S. citizens and their families, who have resided in the United States for more than ten years, to remain in the shadows. The lawsuit aims to separate American citizens from their spouses and stepchildren who are already eligible for lawful permanent residency and could remain together throughout the process. Spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández stated, "This lawsuit goes against our nation's values, and we will vigorously defend Keeping Families Together and our ability to make the immigration system more fair and just. We will also continue securing our border and enforcing our laws, something Congressional Republicans have refused to do time and time again.""

The number of encounters at ports of entry has decreased significantly since President Biden announced new executive actions to secure the border. In July 2024, the number of encounters was the lowest since September 2020 and lower than at this point in 2019.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.