New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading a coalition of 20 state attorneys general in a legal effort to support the federal Keeping Families Together program, which provides certain undocumented family members of U.S. citizens a path to residency permanent. The coalition filed an amicus brief in Texas v. DHS on Monday, urging the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas to uphold the federal government’s authority to implement the initiative.

The Keeping Families Together program, announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in August, allows undocumented spouses and stepchildren of US citizens to apply for immigration parole, providing a path to permanent residency without requiring applicants to leave the States United. Attorney General James emphasized the importance of the program, calling family separation based on immigration status “incredibly cruel.”

“This program gives mixed-status families a path to stability and unity,” James said. “It’s a common-sense policy, which is why I’m joining forces with attorneys general across the country to support it.”

The coalition argues in its brief that the federal government has longstanding authority over immigration policies that support family unity, citing decades of similar “parole in lieu” immigration programs as precedent. The brief also argues that supporting family unity benefits not only families, but also communities and local economies.

Attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois and several other states have joined New York in supporting the program.

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