House Democrats on March 12 will reportedly introduce an expanded version of the Dream Act that will provide protections and a pathway to citizenship for “millions” of so-called Dreamers. In addition, the bill will also offer increased protections for those with “Temporary Protected Status” (TPS) and refugees who have received Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status.
According to a Thursday report in Roll Call, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) will introduce the bill, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who vowed to make the Dream Act a top priority in this Congress, has already reserved bill number H.R. 6 for the “Dream and Promise Act of 2019.”
“Millions of Dreamers” will reportedly benefit from the bill in addition to the “roughly 800,000 who have had legal protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.”
Amnesty activists are set to join party leaders like Pelosi in addition to lead sponsors of the bill like Reps. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) and Yvette Clarke (D-NY) on March 12 for the bill’s rollout.
Roybal-Allard’s office told Roll Call that “TPS and DED protections are included” in the new Dream Act “because President Trump’s cruel and reckless actions have increased the urgency to address these issues and protect these individuals in our communities.”
As the outlet notes, a federal court blocked Trump from terminating “TPS for individuals from Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti and El Salvador,” and “DED protections for individuals from Liberia are scheduled to expire March 31.”