For mixed-status families, the Biden-Harris initiative to streamline the citizenship process while keeping families together.

When I met my wife, we fell madly in love. I didn’t ask — nor did it matter — if she was documented. Rosa was beautiful in every way, and I couldn’t wait to start a family with her. I asked her to marry me, she said yes, and we are raising six children together, all of whom are citizens of the United States, like me.  

Although she’s not a US citizen, my wife is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, which allows her to be in the country legally and work. But the program could again be rescinded come November, should a new administration take over the White House.

This would be the worst possible news for my family—especially in the wake of the Arizona legislature passing HCR 2060, now known as Proposition 314, putting Texas-style anti-immigrant laws on the ballot in November. 

Thankfully, President Biden has not only taken action on the border, but also supported American mixed-status families like mine by granting work permits to the spouses of US citizens — something we’ve been encouraged to see Sen. Mark Kelly and other leaders support.

I want the president to know that making this decision has changed our lives.

Rosa owns a cabinet-making business. I am a nonprofit director, volunteer and entrepreneur. We are well-known in our community and make it a priority to give back, especially for immigrants, whose voices are often silenced. One of our daughters recently performed at the White House with her mariachi band. 

After we married, we began trying to adjust Rosa’s immigration status. This has been the most arduous, complicated process I’ve ever endured. 

When I petitioned for Rosa to be in the US legally, we were denied. My wife had crossed the US-Mexico border without authorization when she was 19 years old, after she originally tried to fix her status in Mexico but was met with kidnapping threats that forced her to leave. This became the sole reason for her denial. She would have been up for deportation were it not for DACA prior to the president’s announcement. 

While many in my wife’s position rightfully fear retaliation and are forced to live in the shadows, Rosa went public with our situation – and I am so proud of her.

Recently she visited Capitol Hill and spoke directly to senators from across the country to advocate for herself, and the over 1.7 million parents like her who come from mixed-status households. “If we stay quiet with our arms crossed, no one will look at us,” she told me before she left. I couldn’t agree more.

It seemed as if the nation had forgotten about us. Where were protections for people like Rosa, someone who has spent her entire adult life in the US — paying taxes, raising a family, and giving back to the country she loves? 

At the nation’s capital, my wife bravely spoke out against the injustices that plague mixed-status households like ours. We deserve a lot more from our government, and my wife told this to our nation’s most important leaders. 

Now, our prayers have finally been answered. President Biden’s executive order will go a long way in protecting immigrants already residing within the U.S. That’s exactly why I worked with American Families United and the American Business Immigration Coalition in the first place:  It will prevent families across America from being torn apart.

My wife and I are no longer forced to live in a perpetual state of limbo, wondering if we’re ever going to be free of this nightmare. But this was a battle of right versus wrong — and I’m confident that President Biden’s decision to help families like mine was the right one.