WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ten House Republicans co-sponsored a bill introduced today that would offer an opportunity to earn legal status to certain young undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children.
Introduced by Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-Florida), the bill would allow some undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to earn “conditional permanent resident status” that would last for five years.
This opportunity would apply to those immigrants who pursue a degree from an institution of higher education, enlist in the armed services, or are employed and meet certain other requirements.
However, the bill could exclude some career training programs that would be helpful to employers, and it includes strict criteria that would be difficult for some young people to meet as students or young workers.
Cosponsors of the bill include Congressman Mike Coffman (R-Colorado), Congressman Jeff Denham (R-California), Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Florida), Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida), Congressman Mark Amodei (R-Nevada), Congresswoman Jenniffer González Colón (R-Puerto Rico), Congressman Fred Upton (R-Michigan), Congressman David Reichert (R-Washington) and Congressman David Valadao (R-California).
“The leadership this group of House Republicans is demonstrating indicates a commitment to support immigrant youth and their continued contributions to America,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “We thank these legislators for trying to find a permanent legislative solution to address the precarious situations of some young immigrants in our country. We hope Congress and the administration will work together to address the immigration system broadly in a way that benefits all Americans.”