The U.S. government has finally taken a step in the right direction by announcing that migrants who applied for President Joe Biden‘s Keeping Families Together (KFT) program will receive a refund of their $580 application fee. This move is a welcome relief for the thousands of undocumented migrants who were left in limbo after the program was halted due to a lawsuit by Republican states.
The KFT program, launched with great fanfare, was meant to provide a pathway to legal status for half a million undocumented immigrants.
Biden’s plan was to enable applicants to stay with their families while immigration officials determined their cases and get more people green cards or permanent resident status.
However, the Keeping Families Together (KFT) program was active for just a few days in August 2024 before Texas and 15 other Republican states sued the federal government, halting applications, which was a devastating blow to the hopes and dreams of thousands of migrants who had pinned their futures on the program. At least 94,000 applications had already been submitted, totaling approximately $55 million.
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Now, more than 11 million undocumented immigrants’ fates are in limbo as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office on January 20. Donald Trump has promised mass deportation of undocumented and illegal migrants in his next administration and heavily criticized the Biden administration for their migration policies and handling of illegal migrants.
The question remains how the next Trump administration will go about his mass deportation plan. Donald Trump has provided few details on how he will implement his mass deportation plan or how much it will cost U.S. taxpayers. However, Trump has already chosen several loyal allies for top roles overseeing immigration and deportation policy, including Kristi Noem, nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security, and former ICE chief Tom Homan, who Trump has named his “border czar.“
The American Immigration Council has hinted that Trump’s deportation plan may cost the U.S. taxpayers approximately $315 billion.
Trump’s deportation plan may face resistance from the Democratic governors who control three of the four states on the U.S.-Mexico border. A key part of Trump’s plan involves using local law enforcement agencies and National Guard troops, activated on state governors’ orders.
It is worth noting that the Trump mass deportation plan and the Biden KFT program represent different approaches to immigration policy, with the former focusing on enforcement and deportation and the latter aiming to provide a pathway to citizenship for certain individuals. The contrast between these two policies highlights the ongoing debate and challenges surrounding immigration reform in the United States.
The halt of the KFT program has had a human cost, with thousands of migrants left in limbo and unsure of their future. The stress, anxiety, and uncertainty that they have faced are immeasurable. Refunding the application fee is a small step towards addressing the harm caused, but it is not enough. The government must do more to support the migrants affected by the program’s halt and provide them with the certainty and security they deserve.
