The American Dream and Promise Act is Passed in the House, Awaiting Senate Vote

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, better known as Dreamers, are undocumented immigrants who came as children. Dreamers are granted deferred action, meaning United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will not initiate removal proceedings against them. However, deferred action does not grant any form of legal status or provide a path to permanent residence and/or citizenship. In short, Dreamers are permitted to stay, but they can never get citizenship.

Representative Lucille Royal-Allard (D-CA), along with 146 representative cosponsors, hopes to change this fact. On March 3, 2021, the representative from California introduced H.R. 6 – The American Dream and Promise Act of 2021. The aim of this bill is to provide Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status holders, and individuals with Deferred Enforced Departure with total protection from deportation and an opportunity to obtain permanent legal status. Among other protections, this act would mean more than 2 million Dreamers could qualify for conditional permanent residence (issued a Green Card) and eventually apply for lawful permanent residence.

The Bill successfully passed the House on March 18th, with a vote of 228 to 197. Currently, the Senate has read the Bill and hearings were held by the Judicial committee in regards to the Bill just 2 weeks ago. With a 50-50 partisan split in the Senate, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 is expected to pass with a vote. However, it is actually getting the Senate to vote that is a problem. See this article from the New York Times about how the filibuster is preventing Democrats from passing contentious legislation.

According to the Pew Research Center, 74% of Americans are in favor of granting Dreamer the opportunity to obtain legal status. DACA recipients have, lived, worked, been educated, and started families in the United States. For most of them, this country is all they know and the only place they want to live. Granting Dreamers a path to citizenship is not only the popular and obvious choice, but simply the right thing to do.

Sources:

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/06/17/americans-broadly-support-legal-status-for-immigrants-brought-to-the-u-s-illegally-as-children/?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=2e9d9bbcbc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_06_18_04_34&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3e953b9b70-2e9d9bbcbc-399501645

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6

https://immigrationforum.org/article/bill-summary-american-dream-and-promise-act-of-2021/