FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

February 27, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

Washington, D.C. — This week, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) joined Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) to reintroduce the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2025, legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. It would also include recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries. The legislation has been cosponsored by 201 Members of Congress, including all the bill leads, and has been endorsed by nearly 120 organizations. 

Dreamers have spent nearly their entire lives here in the United States. They have attended school, earned degrees, built careers, and contributed billions to our economy, all while calling this country home. Many have started families and raised children who are U.S. citizens. For example, it is estimated that the average DACA recipient came to this country at the age of six and has been here for 20 years. Likewise, TPS holders have been living and working in the United States for decades. They have built their families here and contribute significantly to their communities and our nation’s economy. 

Dreamers and TPS recipients make major economic and fiscal contributions each year. DACA recipients pay approximately $6.2 billion in federal taxes and $3.3 billion in state and local taxes annually. The Center for American Progress estimates that the national GDP could grow by $799 billion over the next decade if Dreamers were provided a pathway to citizenship. 

Economic models show a pathway to citizenship would increase wages for all workers in the U.S. and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. It is estimated that DACA recipients in 2022 collectively earned nearly $27.9 billion and contributed nearly $2.1 billion to Social Security and Medicare, despite not being eligible for these benefits under current law. 

“I am proud to reintroduce the American Dream and Promise Act alongside my colleague, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. This bipartisan legislation is a step forward in addressing commonsense immigration reform—strengthening protections for TPS recipients and defending Dreamers from deportation. As a daughter of Jamaican immigrants and the representative of a district that is a cultural melting pot, I will always fight to ensure the American Dream is obtainable,” said Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke. “As long as good people and their families continue to be denied the freedoms and liberties necessary to live that dream and remain economic drivers for our nation’s growth and development, our work to pass this essential legislation must persist.”

“Dreamers are American in every way but on paper. For decades, they have contributed to and shaped the fabric of America. Yet, they are currently denied their place in the American story,” said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. “Our nation cannot afford to lose the small business owners, the talent, the artists, the aspiring public servants, and the drive that Dreamers bring. If that’s not American, I don’t know what is. The American Dream and Promise Act writes them into the American story—a part that has been missing for too long.”

“Twelve years ago, the Obama-Biden administration took a bold and necessary step by creating DACA to protect undocumented young people who were brought to this country as children through no fault of their own. This program has allowed more than 800,000 Dreamers to live, work, and contribute to their communities,” said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez. “But for too long, courts have put their futures at risk, forcing them to live in uncertainty. That is why I was proud to be one of the original authors of the bipartisan Dream and Promise Act, a common-sense solution that will provide permanent protections and a path to citizenship for Dreamers and recipients of Temporary Protected Status. These are our neighbors, colleagues, and friends, and it is long past time we give them the security they deserve.”

“This country has no better opportunity than now to give the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who have lived among us as friends, family, and members of our communities the dignity they were promised many years ago,” said Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar. “I am proud to co-lead the American Dream and Promise Act because it’s time for Dreamers and their families to live in the Promised Land as Americans.”

“I am proud to join Congresswoman Garcia in support of the American Dream and Promise Act for the 119th Congress in support of the newly 3.4 million Dreamers who strengthen our communities, fuel our economy, and deserve a pathway to citizenship,” said Congressman Adriano Espaillat. “Today, we are standing united to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring the American dream remains viable for all who are seeking opportunities in our nation.”

“As an immigrant who came to this country at 16 years old and founded the largest immigrant rights organization in Washington State before coming to Congress, I’m proud to stand with Dreamers as they pursue a roadmap to citizenship. For far too long, Dreamers have had to live in the shadows as they do essential work in communities across the country,” said Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. “Now, under President Trump’s cruel immigration policies, many are terrified that DACA could be struck down, Dreamers could be deported, and their families could be torn apart. But Dreamers are Americans and Dreamers are home . It’s past time that we give them citizenship and pass legislation to protect them from cruel mass deportation campaigns and anti-immigrant stunts.”

“DACA, TPS, and DED status holders have made invaluable contributions to our nation, and our immigration system should give them the option to continue to make these contributions and pursue their dreams,” said Congresswoman Judy Chu. “On this thirteenth anniversary of DACA, I urge the President and my congressional colleagues to join our bipartisan coalition and finally provide a pathway to citizenship for these individuals through the American Dream and Promise Act.”

“Dreamers are an essential part of our communities. They are our nurses, police officers, and soldiers. They follow the law, pay taxes, and have built their lives in this country—graduating from American schools, growing in their careers, and starting their families here in America,” said Congressman Lou Correa. “They’re deeply embedded in the fabric of our communities. They’re our neighbors and friends, and are a part of the economic fabric of this great country. They deserve the opportunity to be Americans. It’s past time that Congress passed the American Dream and Promise Act and delivered an earned pathway to citizenship for Dreamers—to keep their families together and keep our economy alive.”

“Democrats and Republicans alike must prove to every Dreamer and immigrant who calls our nation home that we know they are part of the fabric of our nation. At a time when Dreamers are under attack, it is more imperative than ever that Congress finally act,” said Congresswoman Delia Ramirez. “In co-leading the American Dream and Promise Act, I promise I will keep fighting for Dreamers. For my husband, my family, my friends, my community, we must deliver a pathway to citizenship for every immigrant.”

The bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 would:

1. Protect and grant eligible Dreamers conditional permanent residence for ten years and cancel removal proceedings
2. Provide a pathway to citizenship for eligible Dreamers by granting full Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status
3. Provide individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) with LPR status
4. Protect Dreamers and individuals with TPS or DED during their application for relief under the American Dream and Promise Act
5. Provide eligible Dreamers with access to federal financial aid
6. Allow eligible Dreamers located abroad to apply for relief
7. Prevent penalizing states that grant in-state tuition to undocumented students based on residency

Before his inauguration, President Donald Trump indicated he wanted to work with Democrats to protect Dreamers and that Republicans were open to getting something done on this issue. Congresswoman Garcia and her colleagues extend an open invitation to President Trump to get this done by passing the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2025, which the American public strongly supports. Polls have consistently shown the majority of Americans support Republicans and Democrats working together on legislation that would enable Dreamers to earn legal status and eventual citizenship. 

The bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act has been endorsed by nearly 120 organizations, including: United We Dream, Home is Here Coalition, FWD.us, Immigration Hub, CASA, AFL-CIO, Working Families United (WFU), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), UNITE HERE, International Association of Ironworkers, United Food & Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), National Immigration Law Center (NILC), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Hispanic National Bar Association, University of California System, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of California, Santa Barbara, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA), Center for Popular Democracy, MoveOn, American Immigration Council, America’s Voice, UnidosUS, NAACP, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Hispanic Federation, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL), CHIRLA, American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), National Partnership for New Americans, Center for American Progress (CAP), League of Women Voters of the United States, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), Association of American Universities, EdTrust, Immigration Project, Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights First, President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Children’s Defense Fund, Children’s Defense Fund-Texas, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, Church World Service, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, National Council of Jewish Women, Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Global Refugee, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, Amnesty International, Make the Road Pennsylvania, Make the Road Nevada, Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Columbia Law School Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, Voices for Utah Children, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), Nicaraguan American Legal Defense and Education Fund (NALDEF), Haitian Bridge Alliance, NM Dream Team, Friends Committee on National Legislation, The Children’s Partnership, People Power United, Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN), African Communities Together, People for the American Way, The Clinical Social Work Association, Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), Immigration Equality, Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC), Women’s Refugee Commission, MomsRising, Ayuda, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Children’s HealthWatch, American Council on Education (ACE), Freedom Network USA, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), Child Welfare League of America, SchoolHouse Connection, Prevention Institute, National Center on Adoption and Permanency, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Central American Resource Center of Northern California (CARECEN SF), Foster Care Alumni of America, Immigrants Act Now, Omaha Together One Community, ImmSchools, National Association of Counsel for Children, Children’s Advocacy Institute, Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts at the University of Baltimore School of Law, Sull and Associates, Hope Border Institute, Immigrants Rising, New York Immigration Coalition, Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, UndocuBlack Network, Muslim Advocates, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, Hindus for Human Rights, Arkansas United, Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, African Public Affairs Committee, Hindus for Human Rights, American Families United, Texas Equal Access Fund, Lilith Fund, Centro Hispano de East Tennessee, Union for Reform Judaism.

The American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 is identical to the version that passed the House in the 117th Congress and reintroduced in the 118th Congress. Here is a copy of the bill text.

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