Acceptance of immigrants is considered part of the identity of the United States of America, and in a way, this country can be called the country of immigrants because, more than any other country, it hosts these people, and according to the latest censuses, their number exceeds the total number of immigrants in the next four countries, namely Germany, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, Russia and Britain. Based on this, the issue of immigration has always been and will be one of the most important topics in political debates, especially in the field of the United States presidential elections. Despite the two patterns of anti-immigrant and pro-immigrant behavior, the first behavior is often attributed to the Republicans and the second behavior to the Democrats. Certainly, the elimination of the phenomenon of immigrants or the crystallization of their paradise in America is not the desire of any of the two spectrums, Republicans and Democrats. Rather, both groups benefit from the fluctuating status of immigrants and the game in the field of immigration laws and executive policies, depending on the circumstances and time. In other words, the phenomenon of immigrants can be considered one of the most profitable and, of course, the most expensive means of political gambling in America.

One of the most central issues raised during the 2024 US presidential election is how to deal with illegal immigrants without identity documents. As in most countries, there is some kind of social discontent in societies with a high population of illegal immigrants. In the meantime, Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, has emphasized the policy of reducing and deporting immigrants without identity documents by choosing the crowd of disaffected citizens as his supporters. On the other hand, Joe Biden, the former candidate of the Democrats, before withdrawing from the election and Kamala Harris as his replacement, used a special tactic that expresses the creativity and ingenuity of the Democrats.

Biden's immigration plan for undocumented spouses of American citizens entitled parole in place, which was announced in June of this year and temporarily implemented in August, is a plan with the slogan Keeping families together in the process of its implementation, some non-citizen spouses and stepchildren of US citizens can apply for parole based on existing legal powers.

Previously, these people had to leave the country for an indefinite period of time (up to ten years or more) in order to receive a green card, but according to Biden's new plan, carrying out legal processes to change the status of these immigrants, subject to certain conditions, no longer requires leaving the country. It is estimated that the plan will apply to 500,000 immigrants nationwide, as well as to another 50,000 of their children (stepchildren of their US citizen spouses). To be eligible, applicants must have been married to a US citizen before June 17, when the plan was first announced, have no disqualifying criminal record (including all felonies and a number of other offenses such as domestic violence and most drug offenses), and prove that they have lived in the United States continuously for at least 10 years.

Among the interviews conducted with some of the audiences of this project, there are interesting points. The American spouse of an illegal immigrant of Mexican origin stated that he or she voted for Donald Trump in the previous election. Although he or she generally likes most of the Republican plans for the upcoming elections, he or she has decided to support the Democratic candidate this time because of Biden's immigration plan. In the meantime, a significant number of human rights associations and immigrant rights supporters have also welcomed this plan. With this definition, although illegal immigrants themselves and other immigrants who do not have US citizenship they cannot be counted as voters, their American families, friends, and acquaintances and American members of human rights associations and institutions supporting immigrants will definitely be added to the number of supporters of the Democratic candidate in the upcoming elections, and this number will be impressive.

If we evaluate the two approaches of deporting or keeping immigrants from all aspects, including financial, domestic, and international public opinion, economic, social, and political balance, etc., perhaps, in the end, the weight of the total costs incurred following each of these two elections will be numerically equal, but the type of cost and its feedback in the election process will definitely be different. This feature has turned immigrants into an element with decisive power in the American election process and as a cog in a machine. Weakening the speed of movement of this cog means preventing the facilitation of immigrants' affairs on the one hand, and speeding up its rotation in the sense of opening up their problems will stop the election machine at a different station.

Shida Nowruzi, an expert at the Institute for Political and International Studies

 (The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the IPIS)