TAMPA, Fla. — Less than a week ago, a federal judge put the federal “Keeping Families Together” program on hold while it is being challenged in court by 16 states, including Florida.

What You Need To Know

  • The Keep Families Together Program aims to make the pathway to residency easier for those who are married to a U.S. Citizen
  • The program is on pause after 16 states filed a lawsuit against it
  • Ehinar Cruz had been waiting for two years to become a resident and says this program could help make that process faster

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Keeping Families Together program was put in place to allow undocumented spouses, and stepchildren, of U.S. citizens to stay in the country while working to get permanent residency.

The program is being challenged by 16 states with Republican majorities, including Florida, that claim it will encourage illegal immigration.

Ehinar Cruz soaking up the Florida sunshine recently while taking his daily stroll with his dog by his side.

“We’re walking him at least five to six times a day,” he said.

He says it has become something he enjoys, ever since settling in a new state, and he knows all too well what moving to a new place is like. That’s because Cruz came to the U.S. at the age of 11 as an undocumented immigrant from Mexico.

Since then, he’s gotten married and has created a family of his own in the U.S., and he’s working to obtain his residency.

“I can’t be in this situation where I’m at with my two kids and continuing a life," he said. "We’ve been working for the last two-and-a-half years trying to get to the goal."

He said that process hasn’t been easy, but the Keeping Families Together program could have helped him go through it without having to leave the country.

But the lawsuit against the program has resulted in a pause in its protections and could mean Cruz will have to leave his family and go back to Mexico for a while.

“It’s a little concerning, because now it just feels like, what now?” he said.

For Cruz, this program is his chance at continuing his life in the only place he’s known.

“This is my home, this has been my home," he said. "This is where I’ve lived. This is where my kids live and I just want to be here."

Staying positive about the future, Cruz said he is looking for a chance to keep calling Florida his home.

Danielle Hernandez is an immigration attorney and has had about 20 people apply for the program. And despite the pause, she said she encourages more people to continue applying.