On March 12, Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), and Yvette Clarke (D-NY) introduced of the Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6). The bill would provide a pathway to lawful permanent residency and citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) beneficiaries, also known as Dreamers. In addition, and unlike previous Dream Act legislation, this bill also provides a pathway to permanent legal protections for immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED). All told, the bill would reportedly protect more than 2 million people from deportation. To date, 210 House members have signed on to H.R. 6, all Democrats.

The bill would grant Dreamers conditional permanent resident status for 10 years and cancel removal proceedings if they meet a number of requirements, including if they obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent or are in an apprenticeship program. In order to gain full lawful permanent resident (LPR) status, Dreamers must meet additional requirements. TPS and DED beneficiaries could obtain LPR status by meeting a different set of requirements, including having been in the U.S. for 3 years before the bill’s enactment and having been granted TPS or DED status by certain dates.

The TPS and DED programs have protected undocumented refugees who fled war, natural disasters, and other life-threatening events in their home countries from deportation. President Trump has tried to end the DACA program and terminate TPS for individuals from Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, and El Savlador, but federal courts have thus far blocked him from doing so. Complying with a court injunction, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Feb. 28 that it was extending TPS for more than 250,000 immigrants from those four countries through Jan.  2, 2020. Immigrant advocates also filed a federal lawsuit in February to block the Trump Administration from ending TPS for people from Nepal and Honduras. DED protections for individuals from Liberia are scheduled to expire on March 31.

The National Immigration Law Center, UnidosUS, the Center for Law and Social Policy, and other organizations issued statements supporting the Dream and Promise Act and encouraging its swift passage in Congress.

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