House Democrats introduce bill providing citizenship to Dreamers

Lawmakers on Wednesday formally introduced legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for young people brought to the U.S. as children ahead of House Democrats’ plan to hold an “immigration week” later this month.

The American Dream and Promise Act would allow the young people known as “Dreamers,” as well as others given temporary status when fleeing unrest in their home country, to apply for citizenship.

“During the years of the Trump Administration, the vicious targeting of our most vulnerable immigrant communities cultivated a climate of apprehension, uncertainty, and fear. For far too long, Dreamers and others have waited in limbo and lived with the fear of being deported from the only country they know as home,” Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement.

The legislation provides a path to citizenship for 2.5 million people, including those given Temporary Protected Status, some who came to the U.S. as early as the 1990s. It also would apply to those granted a Deferred Enforcement Departure, which allows people to remain in the U.S. beyond their initial authorization due to conditions in their home country.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced Wednesday that the House would consider a number of immigration bills the week of March 15. Roybal-Allard’s bill is among those sources say will be considered, along with another bill that would provide a path to citizenship for migrant farmworkers.

Unclear, however, is whether President Biden’s immigration bill, which would offer a path to citizenship for 11 million people, is set to be considered.