As the Republican-led House Homeland Security Committee holds a hearing Wednesday about border security, a group of bipartisan lawmakers in the lower chamber are preparing to relaunch efforts to provide a legal pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, according to a Democratic aide.
A group of lawmakers in both parties are set to hold a press conference Thursday to announce the reintroduction of the Dream and Promise Act, a bill aimed at creating a pathway to citizenship for “Dreamers” – undocumented immigrants who were brought to America as children. It also includes provisions for those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status.
“’Dreamers’ deserve to live in peace and continue contributing to our great nation without fear of deportation,” California Rep. Lou Correa, one of the co-leads on the legislation, said in a statement to Spectrum News. “These are our soldiers, our police officers, nurses, and essential workers that have kept our nation’s economy afloat throughout the pandemic.
“As the representative of one of the largest populations of DACA recipients in the United States, I am incredibly proud to stand alongside my colleagues today to re-introduce this bipartisan piece of legislation to fulfill our promise to protect ‘Dreamers’,” he added. “Our ‘Dreamers’ have earned this. And it is past time we get this to President Biden’s desk.”
The bill was introduced in the last Congress by then-Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., who retired at the end of her last term. The bill passed the House in 2021 with some Republican support, but it died in committee in the Senate.
According to a fact sheet obtained by Spectrum News, the Dream and Promise Act would grant “Dreamers” conditional permanent resident status for 10 years and cancel removal proceedings if they have been continuously physically present in the U.S. on or before Jan. 1, 2021.
“The American Dream and Promise Act represents an opportunity for us to embrace these values and honor the spirit of our immigrant ancestors who built this country,” said California Rep. John Duarte, a Republican co-lead on the bill, in a statement to Spectrum News. “This bipartisan legislation offers a pathway to citizenship for ‘Dreamers,’ who were brought to the US as children and have known no other home but our beloved land.
“These children have grown up alongside us, attended our schools, and contributed to our communities,” he added. They are our neighbors, friends, and colleagues, and they deserve a chance to live up to their full potential.”
The bill would apply to those who were 18 years old or younger on the initial date of entry into the U.S. and are not inadmissible on the following grounds: criminal, security and terrorism, smuggling, student visa abuse, ineligibility for citizenship, polygamy, international child abduction, unlawful voting, or former citizens who renounced citizenship to avoid taxation; and have not participated in persecution.
“Dreamers” who graduated from high school and pass a background check would also be protected from deportation.
The bill would mandate that in order to gain full lawful permanent resident status, “Dreamers” would have to participate in higher education and secure a degree, or complete at least two years in good standing in a bachelor’s or higher degree program or in an area career and technical education program at a post-secondary level in the U.S.
They can also complete two years of military service or prove a strong record of employment to be eligible.
