Don Beyer votes for landmark immigration reform bill

Rep. Don Beyer issued the following statement upon following the House passage of H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act.

“This is such an important moment, the House is finally doing the right thing on immigration after years of infighting and failure,” said Rep. Beyer. “I have advocated for passage of the Dream Act since I came to Congress, and I always said it would pass with bipartisan support if it could just get a vote. Now that prediction has come true. The legislation we just passed also protects for TPS-holders, an especially important issue for Northern Virginians. The American people sent us to Congress to get big things done, and that’s what we did today.”

The American Dream and Promise Act establishes a process for Dreamers meeting certain criteria to first obtain conditional lawful permanent resident (LPR) status for 10 years, and then, when they have met certain additional educational, military service or work requirements, to obtain full lawful permanent resident (LPR) status.

Once obtaining full LPR status, Dreamers can then apply for citizenship after an additional five years.  Similarly, the bill establishes a process for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) holders meeting certain criteria to also obtain lawful permanent resident status (and eventual citizenship).  Without these permanent protections, the future of our Dreamers and TPS and DED holders – and their contributions to our economy – remain at risk.