Congressman Greg Stanton (D-AZ) is adding his name to a growing effort to force a House vote on legislation that would create a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and have built a home here.
Stanton signed a discharge petition this week led by Texas Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), which aims to bypass Republican House leadership and bring the American Dream and Promise Act directly to the floor for a vote.
If 218 members sign the petition, House rules allow them to force a vote regardless of whether Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) agrees to schedule one.
"For Dreamers, America is the only country they've ever known," Stanton wrote. "They grew up here, built their lives here, and make our communities stronger. It's past time Congress gave them a pathway to citizenship."
Eligibility For Permanent Status
The legislation itself would allow eligible Dreamers to earn permanent legal status by meeting requirements in education, employment, or military service.
It would also provide a path to lawful permanent resident status for people currently protected under Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure programs, two forms of humanitarian protection that the Trump administration has been working to end.
All applicants would be required to pass criminal and national security background checks.
The push comes at a particularly charged moment. Since President Donald Trump returned to office, hundreds of DACA recipients have been detained and at least 85 have been deported without a criminal conviction.
Many others have faced lengthy delays in receiving work permit renewals, causing them to lose jobs and income despite following every rule.
At the same time, TPS protections for people from multiple countries are being terminated, placing longtime residents at risk of deportation to places facing serious humanitarian crises.
The American Dream and Promise Act has passed the House twice before, in 2019 and 2021, both times with bipartisan support. Supporters argue the votes are there to pass it again, if leadership would simply allow it to come to the floor.
Garcia framed the discharge petition as a way to make that happen regardless. "Sign the petition. Force the vote. Put these protections into law," she said.
