TAMPA, Fla. — A pathway to help spouses of U.S. citizens is being paused just a week after the program was implemented. It’s known as the "Keep Families Together" program.

The program would make a pathway to residency easier for undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens.

Florida was one of 16 states that filed a lawsuit against it.

The recent developments affect residents such as Julia Aguayo De Hassler.

At her home, pictures line her counters, representing her growing family and that of her immigration journey.

“I had to go through a process, the proper process to go through the embassy in Peru to get my paperwork to be able to come legally,” she said.

She said that process wasn’t easy, but it was worth it to become a U.S. citizen. She believes the action, “Keeping Families Together,” is only contributing to the number of immigrants coming into the county illegally. 

“When we have people coming without permission, without any vetting, then no, I have to abide and side with our governor,” she said.

Aguayo says Florida is a place that welcomes people from different parts of the country, but it’s important to understand that the immigration system comes with a process.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services began receiving applications on Aug. 19.

Although the lawsuit might have come as a surprise for some, immigration attorney Danielle Hernandez says it was expected.

“What is tough is the misinformation. This parole in place is not granting a green card to anybody. It’s not a free pass,” says Hernandez.

Hernandez says it requires a lot of documents that verify the person has been in the U.S. for more than 10 years.

And even then, she says the process doesn’t stop there. She says every case is unique, so this program would help make that process easier with families continuing to stay together.

“This literally goes on a backtrack ... I think the estimate is about 500,000 people that have already been here, have already contributed to the economy and plan to continue doing so,” Hernandez said.

For the next 14 days, the program will be on pause. Families can still submit applications, but they won’t be approved for the time being.

A statement from President Joe Biden was released, reading in part, “America is not a country that tears families apart… (Monday) night, a single district court in Texas ruled that our work to keep families together has to stop. That ruling is wrong. These families should not be needlessly separated. They should be able to stay together.”