Millions of undocumented immigrants gain path to permanent residency under new bill

What it does

This bill creates two pathways to permanent residency for certain undocumented immigrants: the American Dream Act allows DACA recipients and those who entered as minors to apply for conditional permanent residency (with a 10-year probationary period) if they meet education, military service, or work requirements; the American Promise Act allows TPS and DED holders to adjust directly to permanent residency. Both pathways include criminal and security bars, background checks, and application fees ($495–$1,140), with fee waivers for low-income and vulnerable applicants.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to create legal pathways to permanent residency for two categories of long-term undocumented residents (DACA-eligible and TPS/DED holders), with conditions and security requirements. This is substantive immigration policy reform, not a narrow carve-out or procedural measure.

What the text implies

• Section 105 repeals the 1996 ban on state in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants, potentially increasing higher-education access and cost to states but also expanding economic mobility for beneficiaries.
• Section 309 confidentiality provisions shield applicants from immigration enforcement referral based on application data, creating a firewall between benefit applications and deportation — a significant shift in how immigration data is handled.
• The bill's 'conditional basis' structure (10-year probationary status) creates a new immigration category with distinct rights and revocation triggers, potentially establishing a permanent underclass if renewal or removal of conditions becomes difficult.
• Section 304(c) allows the Secretary to waive physical presence requirements for aliens removed after 2017, potentially enabling re-entry and adjustment from abroad — a significant expansion of extraterritorial relief.
• The bill ties permanent status removal to education, military service, or 3 years of earned income, creating incentives for work and education but also potential barriers for disabled, caregiving, or economically vulnerable applicants despite hardship exceptions.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill expands legal status and protections to millions of undocumented immigrants who have lived and worked in the U.S., reducing exploitation, enabling access to public services, and strengthening family unity. However, the conditional basis and education/work requirements create barriers for some vulnerable populations, and the bill's implementation depends on agency discretion and appropriations.

Who stands to gain

• nonprofit organizations (grant recipients under Section 310)
• legal service providers and immigration attorneys
• educational institutions (increased enrollment from eligible aliens)

Named in the bill

Secretary of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Justice, DACA recipients, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries, U.S. district courts, nonprofit organizations

Where it stands

220 cosponsors: 218 Democrats, 2 Republicans.

• Feb 26, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 26, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Education and Workforce and House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

18 lobbying clients named this bill on 25 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $18,729,285 in lobbying spend. A filing names 31 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 96% of bills with at least one filing.

Sylvia Garcia, the sponsor, reported $679,245 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• National Association of Realtors — $14,580,000 on 1 filing
• Friends Committee on National Legislation — $1,000,000 on 1 filing
• Anti-defamation League — $590,000 on 2 filings
• Laborers' International Union of North America — $450,000 on 1 filing
• Human Rights Campaign — $439,908 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 22, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.