The American Dream and Promise Act, one of the two big immigration measures, was advanced this week by the Biden Administration, was approved by the House of Representatives on Thursday.
House Democrats pass The American Dream and Promise Act
CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO - MARCH 16: Asylum seekers attend a meeting at an immigrant shelter on March 16, 2021 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. A surge of immigrant families and as many as 13,000 unaccompanied minors now in U.S. custody, according to CBS News, is causing a humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
If signed into law, the bill would put 2.3 million undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as minors on the road to citizenship. If the bill becomes law, at least 300,000 immigrants with Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure, all humanitarian assistance services, will be placed on a road to permanent residence if they fulfill qualifying requirements.
In a 228-197 vote, all House Democrats voted in favor of the bill, with nine Republicans joining them. The American Dream and Promise Act would allow DACA applicants and undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States before 18 to qualify for a 10-year conditional permanent residency if they met the criteria.
Applicants are eligible to qualify whether they have a college education or have completed a two-year bachelor's degree, have been in the military for two years, or have worked in the United States for three years. The latest bill is on its way to the Senate. If passed, it would enable the children of immigrants with temporary work to qualify for citizenship outside of the employment-based process. According to the Business Insider, a second measure, which will include provisional legal status to hundreds of thousands of migrant farmworkers, is set to pass the House on Thursday.
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Nearly 11 Million Immigrants Would Be Legalized
As Democrats assess their chances of passing immigration reform and delivering it to President Biden's desk, the House passed two bills on Thursday that would legalize subsets of the estimated 11 million people residing in the United States without legal authorization. Both House Democrats voted to support the American Dream and Promise Act, CBS News reported.
More than 2.3 million "Dreamers," or undocumented immigrants who come to the United States as minors, as well as beneficiaries of some temporary humanitarian services, will be able to obtain permanent legal residency and potentially citizenship under the plan. Given that Republicans have strongly opposed Biden's expansive proposal to legalize the overwhelming majority of the country's undocumented population, the stand-alone bills could represent Democrats' best hope of having immigration legislation pushed by the Senate's evenly split chamber.
More than 300,000 immigrants in the United States who have Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure, two temporary forms of humanitarian aid, will be immediately able to qualify for permanent residence under the bill provided they met the citizenship requirements, which include having resided in the US for at least three years.
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Unlike the 2019 version, the Dream Act passed by the House on Thursday will allow children of temporary U.S. job visa holders who are caught in the backlogged employment-based green card phase to change their status. Seven Republicans joined 230 Democrats in the House of Representatives to pass the 2019 version of the House Dream Act, spearheaded by California Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard.
Because of the legal confusion surrounding the DACA initiative, many immigration advocates and Democrats agree that passing the Dream Act should be a top priority. Though Biden has overturned former President Trump's efforts to terminate DACA, the program's legality is decided by a federal judge in Texas. Meanwhile, the Agricultural Workforce Modernization Act will enable immigrant farmworkers to qualify for a conditional and renewable immigration status after working in the United States for at least 180 days over the course of two years.
Meanwhile, a Republican immigration bill unveiled on Wednesday features a trigger mechanism to ensure border security is achieved before further changes take effect, as well as citizenship for Dreamers. Republicans repeatedly mentioned a "crisis at our southern border" during House discussion on the bill, as per The Hill. They claimed that the Biden administration is promoting expanded migration.
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