Congressman Gonzalez Votes to Pass American Dream and Promise Act

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) voted to pass H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, a landmark piece of legislation to modernize and reform our immigration system and secure permanent protections and a pathway to citizenship for our nation's Dreamers, as well as for many Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) holders who have been, and will continue to be, the key to the economic recovery of our nation.

"Our community wants solutions to our broken immigration system that honor our values and give our Dreamers, and TPS and DED recipients a fair shot," said Congressman Gonzalez. "These individuals are contributing members of our society and this bill provides them with urgently needed certainties and protections. I am proud to vote in favor of this historic, common-sense legislation."

The American Dream and Promise Act – establishes a path to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status for Dreamers and for certain individuals who either held or were eligible for TPS or DED. The majority of these individuals have been residing in the United States for much of their lives. These families are often here with work authorization and temporary protection against deportation. Importantly the Act includes stringent bars to eligibility related to national security and criminal activity. Five years after attaining full LPR status, individuals are then eligible to apply for citizenship, a path that is supported by nearly 75 percent of the American public. H.R. 6 promotes justice and fairness for our nation's Dreamers, and for the TPS and DED holders who fled ongoing armed conflict and other extraordinary conditions to come to this country and who have been contributing to our economy and our communities for years and are employed at high rates in industries that often struggle to find sufficient U.S. workers.