Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., joined lawmakers and advocacy groups on Capitol Hill Tuesday to urge Congress to pass the American Dream and Promise Act, calling for immediate action to provide a permanent pathway to legal status for millions of immigrants.
Speaking at a press conference, Meng, who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, called on House members to sign a discharge petition led by Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas. The procedural move is designed to bypass legislative gridlock and force a full House vote on the bipartisan bill, H.R. 1589.
“The time to pass the American Dream and Promise Act is now,” Meng said. “Millions of hardworking immigrants are American in every way except on paper. We must do right by our immigrant neighbors and families.”
Garcia, who is leading the discharge petition, said Congress must allow the House to vote on the legislation. “We need to get to 218 signatures to force a vote,” she said. “I’m calling on every member of Congress to sign the discharge petition and let the House vote on legislation that would provide eligible Dreamers with a pathway to citizenship and permanent protections for eligible Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure recipients.”
If signed by a majority of 218 House members, the discharge petition would compel House leadership to bring the legislation to the floor. Supporters view securing 218 signatures as a decisive step toward passing the bill and protecting longtime immigrant residents from mass deportation efforts.
First introduced in February 2025 by Garcia along with Republican co-lead Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., H.R. 1589 combines key provisions of the Dream Act and the American Promise Act. It would grant lawful permanent residency and eventual citizenship to eligible Dreamers — undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children — as well as holders of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, and Deferred Enforced Departure, or DED.
The push for congressional action comes as advocates point to growing legal risks facing immigrants. While federal courts historically provided temporary protections for Dreamers under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, and for TPS beneficiaries, recent rulings, including a Supreme Court decision weakening protections for TPS recipients, have left many at risk of losing their legal status and facing family separation. Meanwhile, President Trump’s expanded mass deportation operations have swept up noncitizens without criminal records, including parents of U.S.-citizen children and long-term workers embedded in local communities.
Advocates argue that permanent protection is crucial not only for humanitarian reasons but also for the national economy. TPS holders alone contributed more than $5.2 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2023 and hold an estimated $16.9 billion in spending power, filling critical roles across key industries such as construction, health care, agriculture and child care.
According to data cited by lawmakers, the legislation would affect an estimated 2 million Dreamers, including 495,000 active DACA recipients and 430,000 Dreamers from Asian countries. It would also cover roughly 1.3 million TPS holders, including more than 10,000 individuals from Myanmar and Nepal who have resided in the United States for years.
“America is the only home they’ve ever known,” Salazar said Tuesday, urging her colleagues across the aisle to sign the petition. “Congress needs to act.”
With the discharge petition officially open, advocates and civil rights organizations are urging members of Congress to sign on and force a vote, warning that without a legislative fix, employers risk losing vital workers and millions of immigrants will remain in legal limbo.
Kishor Panthi
View More PostsKishor Panthi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Khasokhas and NepYork. He is the author of three books, “Kampan,” "UNTRANSLATABLE" and “Zero Mile.” He writes about social issues, immigration, and politics.
