Salazar Co-Leads The American Dream and Promise ACT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), and several other bill leads reintroduced the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 1589). This critical legislation provides permanent legal status to Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. It also includes recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries.

Miami is home to many Dreamers who live and work among us as Americans. They grew up in the United States, have built families here, and contribute significantly to their communities and our nation’s economy. This bill gives those Dreamers certainty and allows them to continue living here in the United States.

“This country has no better opportunity than now to give the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who have lived among us as friends, family, and members of our communities the dignity they were promised many years ago,” said Rep. Salazar. “I am proud to co-lead the American Dream and Promise Act because it’s time for Dreamers and their families to live in the Promised Land as Americans.”

“Dreamers are American in every way but on paper. For decades, they have contributed to and shaped the fabric of America. Yet, they are currently denied their place in the American story,” said Rep. Garcia.“Our nation cannot afford to lose the small business owners, the talent, the artists, the aspiring public servants, and the drive that Dreamers bring. If that’s not American, I don’t know what is. The American Dream and Promise Act writes them into the American story—a part that has been missing for too long.”

The American Dream and Promise Act of 2025:

• Protects and grants eligible Dreamers conditional permanent residence for ten years and cancels removal proceedings;
• Provides a pathway to citizenship for eligible Dreamers by granting full Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status;
• Provides individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) with LPR status;
• Protects Dreamers and individuals with TPS or DED during their application for relief under the American Dream and Promise Act;
• Provides eligible Dreamers with access to federal financial aid;
• Allows eligible Dreamers located abroad to apply for relief; and
• Prevents penalizing states that grant in-state tuition to undocumented students based on residency.

The American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 is identical to the version that passed the House in the 117th Congress and reintroduced in the 118th Congress. 

Salazar is the leading Republican on practical immigration reform in Congress and has supported this legislation since coming to the House of Representatives. To read the full text of the bill, click here.

BACKGROUND:

Dreamers have spent nearly their entire lives here in the United States. They have attended school, earned degrees, built careers, and contributed billions to our economy, all while calling this country home. Many have started families and raised children who are U.S. citizens. For example, it is estimated that the average DACA recipient came to this country at the age of six and has been here for 20 years. Likewise, TPS holders have been living and working in the United States for decades. They have built their families here and contribute significantly to their communities and our nation’s economy.

Dreamers and TPS recipients make major economic and fiscal contributions each year. DACA recipients pay approximately $6.2 billion in federal taxes and $3.3 billion in state and local taxes annually. The Center for American Progress estimates that the national GDP could grow by $799 billion over the next decade if Dreamers were provided a pathway to citizenship.

Economic models show a pathway to citizenship would increase wages for all workers in the U.S. and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. It is estimated that DACA recipients in 2022 collectively earned nearly $27.9 billion and contributed nearly $2.1 billion to Social Security and Medicare, despite not being eligible for these benefits under current law.