US House to Vote on 2 Immigration Bills for Farm-workers and Dreamers

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On Thursday, the House is set to vote on 2 proposals that would legalize subsets of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the US without legal permission. Democrats gauge the chances of approving immigration legislation and sending it to President Biden’s desk. The bills are expected to pass in the Democratic-controlled House and would place millions of undocumented immigrants on different pathways to US citizenship. It includes farm-workers and those who arrived in the country as children. The votes come as the administration scrambles to confront the enormous logistical challenges of processing and housing the soaring number of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the southern border. The measures were recently reintroduced after passing the House in 2019 with some Republican support. President Biden’s sweeping plan to legalize most of the country’s undocumented population has been met with broad Republican rejection.

The stand-alone bills may represent Democrats’ best chance of getting immigration legislation through the evenly divided Senate. The American Dream and Promise Act would allow more than 2.3 million “Dreamers”, or unauthorized immigrants who came to the US as minors to gain permanent legal status. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “It’s always been a pleasure for me to sing the praises of our Dreamers. They make us so proud. For us, this is a day of not only passing legislation but a cause for celebration”. Recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and other undocumented immigrants brought to the country before age 18 would be allowed to apply for a 10-year period of conditional permanent residence if they satisfy several requirements.

Two provisional forms of humanitarian relief would automatically be eligible to apply for permanent residency under the bill if they meet the eligibility rules, which include having lived in the U.S. for at least three years. At least 300,000 immigrants living in the US with Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure would automatically be eligible to apply for permanent residency under the bill if they meet the eligibility rules. The Dream Act being voted on Thursday would also allow children of temporary US work visa holders trapped in the backlogged employment-based green card process to adjust their status. 7 Republican members of Congress joined 230 Democrats to pass the 2019 version of the House Dream Act, which has been spearheaded by California Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard. Immigrant advocates and many Democrats consider passing the Dream Act as an urgent priority due to the legal cloud hanging over the DACA program.