Bipartisan Group Seeks Permanent Residency Pathway for Documented Dreamers 

May 19, 2022 by Reece Nations
Bipartisan Group Seeks Permanent Residency Pathway for Documented Dreamers 
DACA recipients and their supporters rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 18, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/TNS)

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan delegation of lawmakers is renewing the push to create a clear path to permanent legal status for individuals who age out of temporary protection from deportation.

In a Capitol Hill press conference on Wednesday, Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Reps. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., and Ami Bera, D-Calif., discussed their legislative initiative to protect dependents of long-term non-immigrant visa holders from deportation. The lawmakers were flanked by a constituency of young people, known as “Documented Dreamers,” who legally immigrated to the country but lack legal protection from deportation under current law.

The bill, entitled the America’s Cultivation of Hope and Inclusion for Long-term Dependents Raised and Educated Natively Act, would grant lawful permanent resident status to certain college graduates who entered the United States as children. It was introduced into the House in July 2021 and currently awaits a hearing in the Judiciary Committee.

“For too long, these young people have been left out of discussions about immigration reform in Congress,” Ross said during the press conference. “But today, I’m proud to stand with this remarkable group. They worked so hard to draw attention to their challenging circumstances and to advocate for a common sense solution.”

Specifically, the legislation would allow immigrants to apply for lawful permanent resident status if they: 

  • Graduate from a higher education institution in the U.S. 
  • Were lawfully admitted into the country as a dependent child of a migrant on a temporary worker visa. 
  • Reside in the country for four years with such status. 
  • Have been lawfully residing in the country for at least 10 years at the time of their application. 

More than 200,000 people currently living in the U.S. meet those criteria, according to the American Immigration Council. Ten Republicans in the House have signed on as cosponsors of the legislation, two of whom, Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, and Young Kim, R-Calif., are original cosponsors.

“For these young people, turning 21 means facing an impossible choice,” Padilla said to reporters on Wednesday. “Either to leave your family and self-deport to a country that you may barely remember, or to stay in the United States living, undocumented, in the shadows.”

Similar legislation that would extend permanent resident status protections to people in the country under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy passed in the House last year and received a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in June 2021. That bill, entitled the American Dream and Promise Act, received widespread support among Democrats while only nine Republicans voted in favor of its passage.

In September 2017, then-President Donald Trump ordered an end to the DACA program, which was eventually rescinded in a 5-4 Supreme Court decision. In January 2021, President Joe Biden issued a memo to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Acting Homeland Security Secretary David Pekoske directing them to take steps to preserve and fortify DACA.

“Over the years, we made America our home,” Dip Patel, a documented Dreamer, said on Wednesday. “This country helped raise me [and] educate me, but I still lack the certainty to be able to permanently stay here. And this is the story that resonates with over 200,000 documented Dreamers in this country like me. 

“Passing America’s CHILDREN Act will end aging out, bring our vision to life and recognize that we are Americans,” he said. 

Reece can be reached at [email protected] and @ReeceNations

A+
a-
  • bipartisan
  • Congress
  • Dreamers
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Immigration

    March 19, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Supreme Court Gives Texas Green Light to Deport Illegal Immigrants

    WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to begin enforcing a state law that effectively allows officials... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to begin enforcing a state law that effectively allows officials to deport undocumented immigrants, despite objections from the Biden administration, which argued only the federal government has authority over immigration issues. In an unsigned order, the... Read More

    CDC Team Joins Response to Seven Measles Cases in Chicago Shelter for Migrants

    CHICAGO (AP) — Seven people living at a Chicago shelter for migrants have tested positive for measles since last week,... Read More

    CHICAGO (AP) — Seven people living at a Chicago shelter for migrants have tested positive for measles since last week, prompting the arrival of a team with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to guide city and state officials' response to the infections, including vaccination... Read More

    Supreme Court Allows Federal Agents to Cut Razor Wire Texas Installed on US-Mexico Border

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed Border Patrol agents to resume cutting for now razor wire that... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed Border Patrol agents to resume cutting for now razor wire that Texas installed along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border that is at the center of an escalating standoff between the Biden administration and the state over immigration enforcement. The... Read More

    Reliance on Immigration Detention Is Trapping Us All  

    I was sitting in church a few Sundays ago and, as is often the case, during a quiet moment, my... Read More

    I was sitting in church a few Sundays ago and, as is often the case, during a quiet moment, my mind turned to work. Then, the congregation stood up and we began singing the hymn, “I’ll Fly Away.” The line that I love is, “like a... Read More

    Biden Administration Sues Abbott Over Rio Grande Buoy Barrier Meant to Stop Migrants

    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Justice Department on Monday sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over a newly installed floating barrier on the... Read More

    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Justice Department on Monday sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over a newly installed floating barrier on the Rio Grande that is the Republican's latest aggressive tactic to try to stop migrants from crossing into the U.S. from Mexico. The lawsuit asks a federal... Read More

    June 23, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Supreme Court Revives Biden Deportation Guidelines

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday revived immigration guidelines set by the Biden administration that prioritized the arrest and... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday revived immigration guidelines set by the Biden administration that prioritized the arrest and deportation of individuals known to pose a national security risk to the nation or “egregious threats to public safety” over those who merely entered the country... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top